The Indiana Pacers weren’t expected to make the playoffs this season, as this was supposed to be the first year in a rebuild following the departure of Paul George.
However, Victor Oladipo made sure they overachieved, landing in the 5-seed in the East and pushing the Cavaliers to a Game 7 before LeBron James ultimately overwhelmed them. The Pacers are the latest team to find surprising success, but how they proceed will be important to whether they actually build on that or allow this to be their ceiling, as happened in Miami and Portland.
Part of that challenge falls on GM Kevin Pritchard to continue tweaking and upgrading the roster, but part of it falls on Victor Oladipo to make sure this year’s All-Star level is his new normal and not just a fluke. Oladipo is ready to get back to work, but Pritchard and the Pacers wanted to be sure he understood the importance of being the Pacers’ new leader. To hammer that home, Pritchard played Oladipo some Milli Vanilli in his exit interview to make a point.
Pritchard said he challenged Oladipo in exit interview. Had Chad Buchanan play Milli Vanilli as he walked in then said, "That's the biggest one-hit wonder. Are you a one-hit wonder?"
Oladipo's response: "No, I'm Michael Jackson."
— Wheat Hotchkiss (@Wheat_Hotchkiss) May 1, 2018
Is it a little corny? Yes. That said, most any motivational tactics look pretty silly when written out on paper and this probably played will with Oladipo who is a music lover and quite the singer. The Pacers need this to be the level Oladipo always plays at, because the plan has to be to build around him. The pressure is on Pritchard to maximize Oladipo’s talent by giving him the auxiliary players around him that fit best, but the only way that works is if Oladipo remains an All-Star caliber player and for them to become a real contender he’ll need to improve even more.
