Victor Oladipo is now five months removed from his season-ending quad injury, but the Indiana Pacers still expect him to miss a big chunk of next season too.
Pacers president Kevin Pritchard indicted over the weekend that the All-Star guard still has a long way to go before making his return.
“He might be out a little bit,” said Pritchard, per Matthew VanTrynon of the Indianapolis Star. “I’m hopeful he’ll be back December or January.”
Oladipo, 27, was averaging 18.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game last season, when he ruptured the right quad in a nasty spill on Jan. 23. The Pacers still managed to reach 48 wins and earn the No. 5 seed in the East but felt his absence in a big way during a first-round sweep at the hands of Boston.
The season starts in October, and that December-January timetable would cost Oladipo the first 35 or so games of the year. The Pacers obviously want to make sure Oladipo is completely healthy before trotting him back out there, and the good news is that he has found other ways to be helpful while hurt.
