Victor Oladipo (Associated Press file)
Spotlight on… Victor Oladipo, guard, Orlando Magic
When: About this time of year, there aren’t many eyes on the struggling Orlando Magic, but Oladipo opened some with a few solid games that earned him The Denver Post’s player of the week.
What’s up: In three games, Oladipo averaged 30.3 points, 6.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds for the Magic, which collected a win against the Sacramento Kings, now coached by George Karl. Oladipo shot 57.1 percent from the field and 58.3 percent from 3-point range. His 32 points and 10 assists were enough to hold off the Kings on Friday night.
Background: Even though the team has found wins hard to come by, and fired coach Jacque Vaughn this season, Oladipo has been living up to expectations since being taken from Indiana with the second selection overall in the 2013 draft. His points (17.5) are up over his rookie season, as are all of his shooting percentages.
Dempsey’s take: The best part of his 32-point, 10-assist effort in the Magic’s win over the Kings was how it ended. Oladipo had a great scoring game, and Orlando needed a basket to seal the outcome. Instead of taking the shot, Oladipo demonstrated his selflessness in dishing the ball to an open teammate, Tobias Harris, who nailed the shot. “Victor was having a great game, and he trusts me to make that shot,” Harris told reporters. Around here? We call that player of the week material.
