Victor Oladipo has thrived in his first season with the Indiana Pacers, and the advice from coach Nate McMillan has helped.
On Sunday as the Pacers opened up the playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers, ABC’s broadcast team shared how McMillan has gotten the most out of Oladipo. According to Vic, McMillan has told him to be more of an a– hole.
This quote was shared by ABC via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin:
“(McMillan) told me, ‘You have to become a little more of an a–hole.’ At the beginning of the year, he always told me to be more of an a–hole. He said people shouldn’t like you. It was like, ‘What do you mean? I am.’ So when I see him, I make jokes. I told him, ‘I had a dream of kicking your a–.’ It’s little stuff like that just to get me motivated.”
Perhaps McMillan’s words have helped Oladipo gain and play with an edge. After three seasons in Orlando and one in Oklahoma City, Oladipo is playing to his full potential with the Pacers. He averaged 23.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game, while making a career-best 47.7 percent of his field goals. Beyond changing his mentality, Oladipo also might be motivated by proving people wrong about the infamous Thunder trade.
