Miami Heat: Victor Oladipo’s knee injury presents a glimpse of the risk

The Miami Heat played a game on Thursday night against the Los Angeles Lakers. They won, but the night was not something to celebrate in the grand scheme of it all.

For starters, they were nearly taken down to the wire by a Los Angeles Lakers team that were without LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Kyle Kuzma. They would get out to decent leads all night, looking as though they would pull away, before allowing the Lakers to, once again, close the gap.

The Miami Heat would eventually go on to win the game by a mere six points. A win is always a win, however, you want to see them play better than they did and dominate a Lakers team without their top two options, another one of their top options in Kuzma, and likely a guy that’s a top two option without LeBron or Anthony Davis in the lineup.

Victor Oladipo’s injury scare has presented the Miami Heat with a glimpse of the risk in having him.

Either way though, for as unpleasantly close as the Miami Heat made this game, that wasn’t the worst of Thursday night. Victor Oladipo sustained a knee injury, something that’s never good.

That stands double when talking about a guy who’s had major knee issues in the past and overall lower extremity issues in the manner that he has. Though the initial reaction or report from Miami Heat head coach, Erik Spoelstra, was that there would be no report, word eventually leaked through.

Though that’s encouraging, you have to think about it all. You hope that Oladipo is alright and this is really nothing to worry about, however, this anxiety about the situation is the reason why acquiring him was always tricky.

This is why the Miami Heat couldn’t afford to move a ton of real assets for him, in any trade. With the volatility of injury, period, combined with his injury history, the situation just becomes one where there is a ton of risk involved and if you’re the Heat, you can’t afford to pay twice.

You lose him if he’s injured, while the resources to have him are still contractually his and rightfully so but then if you also gave up a king’s ransom to get him, you’ve paid twice on a risky proposition. It isn’t a good idea in any situation, but especially one with as much risk as this one has.

Again, you hope he’s good, because you love him on this team if he’s right and he’s a big contributor with all that he adds to the team, mind you, without even being an explosive scorer yet. Only time will tell though, so, hope for a good report.