Pacers' Victor Oladipo Assigned to G League Amid Knee Injury Recovery
The Indiana Pacers assigned star guard Victor Oladipo to their NBA G League affiliate, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the team announced Tuesday.
Oladipo has been out of action since rupturing the quad tendon in his right knee in January and remains without a timetable for return.
The Pacers are 6-4 and sit sixth in the Eastern Conference, which is a solid start considering they're without their best player.
Indiana gave Malcolm Brogdon a four-year, $85 million deal in the offseason partially because he could run the offense in Oladipo's absence. Brogdon has been excellent and is averaging 20.8 points and 8.9 assists. The team's net rating decreases by 6.1 points per 100 possessions when he's on the bench, per NBA.com.
Tuesday's news is undoubtedly a positive step for Oladipo, but fans probably shouldn't plan on seeing him with the Pacers for at least a few more weeks. Team president Kevin Pritchard told reporters in the offseason Indiana wasn't expecting Oladipo to play until at least December or January.
Indiana's performance so far allows the team to be patient with his recovery and raises little need to rush him back before he's ready.
