The Miami Heat announced Sunday that Victor Oladipo tore his left patellar tendon, a diagnosis that came after an MRI earlier in the day. The injury ends Oladipo's season and raises doubt over his availability for the start of the next campaign.
Monday 24 April 2023 07:31, UK
The Miami Heat announced on Sunday that Victor Oladipo tore his left patellar tendon, a diagnosis that came after an MRI earlier in the day. The injury ends Oladipo's season and raises doubt over his availability for the start of the next campaign.
The incident occurred shortly after Oladipo pulled off perhaps one of his top highlight-reel plays of the season, controlling a rebound at one end, dribbling downcourt at full speed, blowing past three Milwaukee players on his way to the rim and scoring - punching the air in celebration to end that play.
The next shot he took was his last: He drove down the lane, getting past two Bucks, then appeared to slip as he tried to plant for his jump and grabbed at his knee right away as he landed.
"Yes, there are injuries. That is a part of this game. We understand that," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Sunday before the team learned of the diagnosis. "But the human side of it, when you see somebody that's overcome so much and he's done it time and time and time again, and he always does it with an incredible positive spirit and a smile on his face - even last night ... that's why I admire him so much."
Oladipo's is the second significant injury for the Heat in the first three games of this postseason against the Milwaukee Bucks. Tyler Herro was the first, breaking his hand in the opening game of the first-round series. He will likely be out for at least six weeks.
Herro's injury seemed to open a door for Oladipo to have a bigger role in Miami's guard rotation, but his teammate's track record with injury hasn't always made that possible.
The 30-year-old has missed 255 of a possible 374 games since initially getting hurt while playing for Indiana in 2019. He's been listed as inactive for 226 of those games - the second most in the NBA over that span behind Orlando's Jonathan Isaac.
"The physical toll of rehab is tough but mentally, it's even tougher," said Heat center Cody Zeller, who played with Oladipo in college at Indiana and has been close with him for years. "And he's always so positive. He'll attack this rehab like he has the others.
"Mentally, I don't know how he does it. There's a lot of long days, a lot of slow days and it's tough to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I'm just sick for him."
Miami's guard rotation is now very thin. Gabe Vincent and Lowry are the point guards. Strus and Duncan Robinson - who has been in and out of the rotation this season, but had 20 points in Game 3 - will be the primary shooting guards. There aren't many other options.
Oladipo will need a third major surgery in just over four years, the previous two coming after a quadriceps injury over his right knee.
