Pacers' Victor Oladipo Says He Doesn't Have Deadline to Decide on NBA Restart

Indiana Pacers star Victor Oladipo remains undecided on whether he will play in the NBA's restart later this month. 

Oladipo addressed the situation Wednesday on a Zoom call with reporters, per ESPN's Eric Woodyard:

"Nah, I haven't made a decision just yet. Just taking it one day at a time. I feel like when the day comes, I'll know. I appreciate my teammates and this organization for backing me and supporting me with whatever decision I make but at the same time, I'm focused on me getting as strong as possible and getting where I'm at. Like I said, I'm taking it one day at a time and hopefully I can make a decision soon. We'll see."

Oladipo added he hasn't set a firm date by which he'll make up his mind.

Woodyard reported the Pacers are planning to include Oladipo on their travel party list but that they won't push back if he chooses not to make the trip to Orlando, Florida.

The two-time All-Star ruptured his right quad tendon in January 2019. He returned to the court in Indiana's 115-106 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Jan. 29 and made 13 appearances prior to the NBA suspending the season.

Even though Oladipo quad fully healed, the Pacers were being deliberate with his usage. He averaged 25.9 minutes per game after coming back, well below his career average (33.0).

Indiana president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard told reporters on Tuesday the Pacers would "have a plan" that would allow for Oladipo to continue playing while ramping up his training and game time.

Still, the NBA has been on hold since mid-March. During the layoff, Oladipo wasn't able to train as he usually would, either, since the league briefly closed all team facilities amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Before games begin July 30, Oladipo would obviously have time to work out in Orlando and prepare himself physically. Having said that, he'd be doing so with the purpose of playing in eight seeding games and however far the fifth-place Pacers reach in the NBA playoffs.

One could question whether it's worth it for the 28-year-old to risk aggravating his quad or suffering another injury for what could be a limited stretch.