The Miami Heat have some things to clarify about their roster as they get set to head into training camp. With a dearth of talent in some areas, the power forward spot specifically, they have too much in others.
While at no specific position, this particular era of the NBA has come down to classifications more than positions. There are wings, there are guards, and there are bigs, among a few other specific classifications, but those three would encompass most of the players in the NBA in some form or fashion.
In fact, there are many guys around the league that fit in multiple categories. The Miami Heat have several and one of them is the topic here today.
When it comes to Victor Oladipo, he is classically either a guard or a wing. Now, where and how the Miami Heat will use him most this season is up for debate.
The Miami Heat have things to sort out, but all of their issues aren’t ‘bad’. One of the better problems surrounds how they’ll deploy Victor Oladipo.
To be honest and fair, they’ll maximize his versatility whenever he is on the floor, having him handle, initiate, create, spot-up, attack, be a decoy, or whatever else they see fit for him to do. However, that’s just it.
It’s not about where he plays, from a positional or rotational standpoint as a starter or a guy off the pine. The more important thing is how much he plays and that leads to his most important stat heading into the 2022-23 season.
Victor Oladipo’s Most Important Stat Heading Into 2022-23: Minutes Played Per Game
Projection: 25 Plus Minutes Per Game
Averaging 12.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in 21.6 minutes across eight games played for the Miami Heat last season, you finally saw flashes of the old Dipo on a more consistent basis. He actually looked comfortable and free in doing so too, unlike the majority of his time prior to this latest injury, where there was still a bit of tentativeness to his game at times.
The Miami Heat can certainly use the dynamic ability that the one-time 20-point-per-game scorer in the league can offer. They’ll have to be sure to deploy him enough to do so though and to get the most out of him.
Among many other talented guard and wing options, that won’t be easy, but they can’t allow it to be that hard either. That’s why, among other things in what should be a resurgent year for Oladipo, the most important stat for him heading into the new season is the number of minutes he plays on a night-to-night basis.