In this continuing series, Thunder Wire assigns three goals to each of the 21 players, per Spotrac, that make up the Oklahoma City Thunder roster.
The Thunder’s season kicks off on Oct. 25 against the Chicago Bulls. After a surprising 40-42 campaign that ended a win shy of the playoffs, OKC enters this year with playoff aspirations.
Buy Thunder TicketsLet’s assign three goals for Victor Oladipo. The 31-year-old won’t suit up for OKC as he’ll miss training camp. The Thunder will make a decision soon on his expiring $9.5 million salary.
Nonetheless, Oladipo will look to return from a torn patellar tendon he suffered in April. As Thunder fans know, this is a complex injury that could take years to return from.
Get healthy
This is easily Oladipo’s biggest goal of this season. He suffered a torn patellar tendon in late April, which is the same type of injury that essentially ended Andre Roberson’s career.
At 31 years old, Oladipo will need to attack the rehab process with the right mindset and hope he’s lucky enough to extend his career. He’s struggled to stay healthy recently, playing less than 43 games in the last five seasons.
Sign a new contract
As Sam Presti said during his pre-season presser, Oladipo won’t attend training camp and will work with OKC to decide what to do with his contract.
This essentially means that — one way or another — Oladipo will get a chance to be on a new team. His expiring $9.5 million salary will make it an easier decision to waive him if push comes to shove.
Once that happens, Oladipo will need to see if he can sign with another team after he is cleared to return. He expects to be back sometime this season. He could be a low-risk signing for a contender.
Avoid setbacks
As Thunder fans know, returning from a torn patellar tendon can be a difficult process. Setbacks can occur, which could delay Oladipo’s return.
As mentioned earlier, Roberson missed nearly 2.5 seasons before he returned for the Thunder. It’s already been reported that Oladipo is aiming to return sometime this season and if that happens, it’ll be a tremendously fast return from a serious injury.
It’ll be important for Oladipo to avoid suffering any setbacks from this injury and if it does happen, to not let it discourage him from continuing his journey back onto the court.
