This Oladipo play from Utah should mean as much to Miami Heat as entire stat line

The Miami Heat are gearing up to finish their West Coast road trip out strong as they get set to take on the Los Angeles Clippers Monday night. But before getting too far ahead of one’s self, there is a bow to tie around the Miami Heat’s last game, their thrilling New Year’s Eve victory over the Utah Jazz.

And while Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo will get all of the fanfare, with one hitting the game-winning shot and the other dominating the game for the rest of it, their third guy on the night, effectively, is the subject of conversation here.

With Adebayo leading the Miami Heat and in fact, all scorers, that night with 32 points, eight rebounds, and five dimes to boot, Tyler Herro would chip in 29 points, nine boards, and six assists of his own.

However, third on the Miami Heat’s production tally was Victor Oladipo. Now that is, indeed, quite the development.

Let’s talk about why.

Miami Heat: This Victor Oladipo Play In Utah Means As Much As Entire Stat Line

Playing in 11 games for the Miami Heat since starting off his season a little bit back, Oladipo has come on to make a vast impact for the squad.

Though modest with his averages of 9.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game on the year thus far, his real impact has been felt massively on the defensive side of the ball, and besides, he would go well beyond that on Saturday.

Finishing with 23 points, five rebounds, and five dimes, the final stat line wasn’t even the most impressive thing from the still-dynamic combo guard. And before you get all balled up into a knot, here out the logic.

Here is the play in question though.

While the dunk, itself, is always exciting, it’s especially exciting when someone gets dunked on. However, it’s still only two points.

So, why then, would this be more impressive than Oladipo’s entire stat line on the night? Well, it’s about who he is, where he’s at, and where he’s been.

Miami Heat: This Shows That Oladipo’s Athletic ‘Pop’ Is Still There

A guy that has been a multiple-time All-Star in the past, Oladipo still has a lot of that same ability left in the tank. It’s just that with injuries and inconsistency in being able to stay on the floor over the past couple of years, you haven’t seen much of it.

And though he has shown you a lot of the straight-line stuff, such as the dunk above, before this year, he hasn’t shown it to you with that type of ferocity. And it’s not just that he is capable, but it’s that he’s comfortable and willing to do it, as a lot of stuff like this can be mental.

He still has to show you the second-phase explosiveness that also helped to make him so dynamic, the erky jerkiness off the dribble or the ability to change gears and pace, before then still exploding with equal or greater athleticism in that second dash as he would on a straight-line move with momentum—but plays like these show you that all of that stuff is still in there.

That’s why this one play from Utah might be just as important for the Miami Heat as Victor Oladipo’s entire stat line from that game was.