Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo still remains undecided as to whether or not he will report to Orlando with the NBA restart organization.
Although he is undecided, a championship source said that ESPN Oladipo will be included in the Indiana Pacers travel party list, but they are still working with him on his plan and will support whatever decision is made.
Initially reluctant to commit immediately when assessing the risk of rebellion, Oladipo told reporters that his decision remains unclear during Zoom’s availability on Wednesday morning, although the team is looking to finalize his travel party on Wednesday.
“No, I haven’t made a decision yet. Make it only one day at a time,” said Oladipo. “I feel that when the day comes, I will know. I appreciate my teammates and this organization for supporting and supporting me from whatever decision I made, but at the same time, I am focused on the fact that I become as strong as possible to get where I am. I said, I take it one day at a time and I hope I can make a decision soon. We will see. “
The Pacers also resumed mandatory individual training at the Indianapolis St. Vincent Center, but Oladipo says the team informed him that he has not been rushed to decide yet.
“I don’t have a deadline,” said Oladipo.
Oladipo, 28, appeared in 13 games during the 2019-20 season before the coronavirus pandemic stopped the game. He averaged 13.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists in a minimum of 25.9 minutes per game while trying to get back in shape after a long rest.
The two-time NBA All-Star returned in January after losing more than a full year of action due to a broken quadriceps tendon and lists health as his biggest concern before committing to play rather than in the pandemic.
“At the end of the day, it takes time for your body to heal. I’m sure I feel better, but at the same time we had a long period of free time and to go back and speed things up again, I’m susceptible to more injuries than anyone else since I had previously been injured and was not 100% when I got back to the beginning, “said Oladipo. “Part of the rehab is going back and going 100 percent, so at the end of the day, going back and lifting things up as fast as we’re going to do, and practically going to the playoff training and playoff games after eight games, I’m more susceptible to injury than anyone else. So, it’s not about now, it’s about longevity. “
On Tuesday, Pacers basketball operations president Kevin Pritchard revealed that all but one player was fully committed to restarting at that time. Pritchard also said that there would be no judgment within the organization if the player, who did not name out of respect, decided not to play, because he understands that it is a “very personal decision”.
The Pacers center Myles Turner has confirmed to ESPN that it will report to Florida with the team after previously declaring in June that it still had “a little more work to do” following George Floyd’s death while in police custody.
In the case of Oladipo, however, the front office is impressed by his work ethic although he ponders over his commitment.
“He has been here every morning; he is the first here,” said Oladipo’s Pritchard. “We have timed training, physical therapy and conditioning. And if you all know Victor, Victor is here first and doesn’t really want to leave all day. I don’t think I’ve seen him in better shape than I have seen him today for a long time. I think he’s taking this time to climb the stairs physically, mentally. I was really impressed with what I saw outside of him. Now, it’s just training; they can’t go 5 out of 5, but by comparison he’s in excellent shape. “
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