Miami Heat: Is Victor Oladipo’s potential impact being underrated?

Miami Heat: You have to say so, as Victor Oladipo can be their third star

Say for example, you don’t make any moves if you are the Miami Heat. You strike out on Kevin Durant, you’re priced out on Donovan Mitchell, and you can’t find anything else worth the hassle. Hey, let’s say you do even make a slighter move for another power forward or something.

That still brings back a pecking order that looks something like this: Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Kyle Lowry and Tyler Herro interchangeable at the third and fourth spots, then who?

While Lowry wasn’t able to be his best offensive self in every game last season, Tyler Herro doesn’t offer the same multipleness or two-wayedness that Lowry offers on a consistent basis either. That’s the thing about Oladipo.

Not only is he capable of giving you very high quality on both sides of the ball, but he can do so at multiple avenues on both sides. He is a good isolation defender, is a steals guy, and has the athleticism to even challenge up top.

You know he can attack and initiate on offense at a high level, while even beginning to show chops as a catch and act wing guy this past season. If he can find a way to consistently put it all together, as he did in his short time and opportunities this past season for Miami, he could quickly elevate to third on the pecking order.

That brings it all home though. Wouldn’t that also elevate him to being their third star?

By nature of pecking orders, alone, that is true. However, if he can produce at that high a level, is that a general proclamtion too?

Plainly put, with all the Mitchell, Durant, and whoever else noise, is Dipo being underrated? Can’t he, with a full offseason to reacclimate and actually improve as opposed to rehab, get back to himself and thus be their third high impact guy?

It’s certainly possible and likely, actually. Based on what you saw last season, when he was comfortable, he still has it.

So that means that it has to be a 50/50 shot (45/55 at worst) that he can be that guy. So, yes, he is being underrated but that typically motivates guys like him.

Especially as a member of the Miami Heat.