For the first time since his trade to the Rockets, two-time All-Star guard Victor Oladipo met with reporters from Sunday’s practice. “I’m blessed and fortunate to be here in Houston,” he said. “There’s a purpose and a reason why I’m here. I came here to win, and I came here to win a lot and at an elite level. I’m looking forward to showing everybody that.”
Oladipo, who averaged 20.0 points (36.2% on 3-pointers), 5.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.7 steals per game with the Indiana Pacers this season, is expected to make his Houston debut on Monday night in Chicago. Head coach Stephen Silas has referred to the 6-foot-4 guard as a two-way player, in reference to his abilities on both offense and defense.
Oladipo has big shoes to fill, since he’ll be taking the spot of James Harden in Houston’s starting lineup. Harden, of course, was traded to Brooklyn in the blockbuster deal that brought Oladipo to the Rockets.
But as Oladipo and Silas see things, they’re not asking him to be a replacement for Harden. They’re simply wanting him to play his own game, starting with Monday’s 7:00 p.m. Central tipoff in Chicago.
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The Rockets also have decisions to make regarding Oladipo in the coming weeks, since his contract expires at the end of this season. If Houston either chooses not to keep him or doesn’t believe he wants to stay long-term, GM Rafael Stone might have to consider redirecting Oladipo to another team for future assets prior to the March 25 trade deadline.
Here’s a roundup of key takeaways from Sunday afternoon’s media availability sessions with Oladipo, Silas, and Stone.
Silas raved about Oladipo's basketball skills but also him as a person. He said that since "the first minute I met him here", he could tell "the quality of that human being is off the charts."
— ClutchFans (@clutchfans) January 17, 2021
Victor Oladipo says he's all about winning. "I just want to be a part of that… I can't wait to do that here." #Rockets
— Ben DuBose (@BenDuBose) January 17, 2021
"Control what you can control. At the end of the day, its a business. Certain things in business are out of your control." – Victor Oladipo
He wants to.. "make the most out of every day, stay in the moment, and have fun."
— Cayleigh Griffin (@cayleighgriffin) January 17, 2021
Victor Oladipo on how he views his role: "An opportunity to come here and help impact winning at the highest level. I know where we're at right now and I know that there's a lot of room to grow."
— Salman Ali (@SalmanAliNBA) January 17, 2021
Victor Oladipo, asked about determining his "fit" in Houston: "I'm going to go out there and play to the best of my abilities, with an open mind and open heart."
"When that time comes, after the season… I'll reflect." Says all he wants to do now is focus on playing. #Rockets
— Ben DuBose (@BenDuBose) January 17, 2021
Victor Oladipo on the Houston Rockets and free agency: “If it fits, things work out, if I’m happy. Essentially, it’s like a business plan. You’ve got to go through every aspect of the business plan before you kind of figure out if you want to invest in it." pic.twitter.com/IvCm0SEhkp
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) January 17, 2021
Victor Oladipo: "My first impression has been amazing. Guys have been welcoming…I'm blessed and fortunate to be here. My goal for this season is to win, and win, and win and win some more. Exhaust my potential here." #Rockets
— Alykhan Bijani (@Rockets_Insider) January 17, 2021
"Me & John already have a relationship & I think that's huge. There's already a respect level there…I know his mentality & he wants to win & it's the same for me…I'm definitely looking forward to the damage we can do out there."- #Rockets @VicOladipo on teaming w/ @JohnWall
— Adam Wexler (@AdamJWexler) January 17, 2021
Oladipo said he found out about the trade three minutes before it went public and things "spiraled pretty fast." He did not have advance notice. "I'm blessed and fortunate to be in Houston. There's a purpose and reason as to why I'm here."
— ClutchFans (@clutchfans) January 17, 2021
Oladipo said he and John Wall "already have a relationship.
"I know he wants to win and it's the same for me. I'm definitely looking forward to the damage we can do." https://t.co/RyUlY3iowb
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) January 17, 2021
Victor Oladipo: "I know who I am. Ask all my teammates what kind of teammate I am. It's the media being the media."
— Salman Ali (@SalmanAliNBA) January 17, 2021
https://twitter.com/BenDuBose/status/1350895291470401536
Victor Oladipo said his only focus is: "God, family, being the best basketball player I can be and the Houston Rockets."
— ClutchFans (@clutchfans) January 17, 2021
Oladipo: "It's a new energy, a positive energy. It's great to be a part of."
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) January 17, 2021
Oladipo said he's been following Christian Wood since before the trade. "He's gotten so much better and he keeps getting better." Oladipo smiled in saying that he's looking forward to pick-and-rolls with CWood as well.
— ClutchFans (@clutchfans) January 17, 2021
.@VicOladipo after first workout with the #Rockets: “Honestly, my 1st impression has been amazing.The guys have been great, very welcoming, very down to earth..I’m blessed & fortunate to be here & it’s all God’s plan. My goal for this season is to win & win & win & win some more”
— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) January 17, 2021
.@VicOladipo: “I’m blessed & fortunate to be here in Houston. There’s a purpose & a reason why I’m here & I look forward to seeing what that reason & that purpose is.I came here to win & I came here to win a lot & at an elite level & I’m looking forward to showing everybody that”
— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) January 17, 2021
Like John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins, Silas says there will be some degree of "load management" with Oladipo in regards to his games and minutes. All three are veterans coming off major injuries.
— Ben DuBose (@BenDuBose) January 17, 2021
Silas says the team with play faster, more downhill, and strong defensively with an Oladipo-Wall backcourt.
— Kelly Iko (@KellyIkoNBA) January 17, 2021
In typical fashion for the 20-21 Rockets, Victor Oladipo spent his first practice playing out of position, at the point. https://t.co/xKlqMw8aPq
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) January 17, 2021
Rafael Stone on Victor Oladipo: "First thing he did was ask for video so he could independently study our offense and defense so that he's up to speed…The background that we have on him is that he's exactly the type of person that we like in this organization." #Rockets
— Alykhan Bijani (@Rockets_Insider) January 17, 2021
Rafael Stone on whether the Rockets would extend PJ Tucker or Victor Oladipo: "I would say we're always open to anything with anyone. Obviously it's circumstantial. If it makes sense for them and if makes sense for us, then we will always be open."
— Salman Ali (@SalmanAliNBA) January 17, 2021
Rockets GM Rafael Stone on Victor Oladipo: "Your hope is it’s a perfect marriage. He’s an extremely talented player. … For him and for us, this is a really exciting time where we get to see how it works out. Hopefully, it works out gangbusters and we go from there."
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) January 17, 2021
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