via Imago
NBA player Victor Oladipo of the Indiana Pacers, wearing Marvel’s Black Panther mask from Chadwick Boseman, during the 2018 State Farm All-Star Saturday Night at Staples Center on February 17, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage)
via Imago
NBA player Victor Oladipo of the Indiana Pacers, wearing Marvel’s Black Panther mask from Chadwick Boseman, during the 2018 State Farm All-Star Saturday Night at Staples Center on February 17, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage)
The Indiana Pacers had another underwhelming postseason run as they were sent home in the opening round. Additionally, the Pacers failed to win even a single game in the playoffs and were handed a clean sweep by the Miami Heat.
Following the meltdown, the Pacers sacked long-time head coach McMillan. McMillon’s post has been filled by Nate Bjorkgren, who formerly assisted Raptors’ head coach Nick Nurse. However, Bjorken has a tough task on his hands right off the bat. Star guard Victor Oladipo reportedly wants out of Indiana in hopes of playing for a championship contender.
The Indiana Pacers are hiring Raptors assistant Nate Bjorkgren as their new head coach, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 20, 2020
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However, The Athletic’s Bob Kravitz recently wrote a report which stated the Oladipo situation is not of control yet.
“The Pacers understand, they can’t and won’t spend the kind of money that other teams spend, so they’ve got to be more creative and forward-thinking with their approach. At this point, there’s still no public indication whether Victor Oladipo will remain with the Pacers; he gave off a get-me-outta-here vibe in recent months, but sources tell me it hasn’t yet reached critical mass.
“They also have to decide whether they’re going to move forward with the Myles Turner-Domantas Sabonis big-man pairing. Turner would seem the more likely focus of a trade if they go that way.”
Oladipo still has one season under his contract, which he signed back in OKC. But can the Pacers convince the two-time All-Star to stay at bay? The question remains unanswered.
Will signing a new head coach help the Indiana Pacers convince Oladipo to stay?
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Despite having a subpar season, any team in the league would love to have Victor Oladipo on their roster. If Oldadipo wasn’t injured for the majority of the season, the 27-year-old guard would have definitely averaged over 14.5 ppg.
Moreover, during the playoffs, Oladipo never looked fully healed. When he gets back at his 100% next season, the Pacers need to re-sign him. New head coach Nate Bjorkgren might become the man who convinced him to stay.
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As under the leadership of Nate McMillan, the Pacers never made a deep playoff run. But if they shrug off that curse, Oladipo could sign a massive extension season. If all options fail, the Pacers will be looking forward to trading him instead of letting him leave for anything in return.
But what do you think? Can Bjorkgren help the Indiana Pacers retain Oladipo or not?
