Victor Oladipo will have surgery, is expected back next season / News - Basketnews.com

Victor Oladipo’s efforts to get back on track took another blow after his season-ending injury in his left knee that will keep him sidelined for more than six months.

Credit: AP – Scanpix Credit AP – Scanpix

Miami Heat guardVictor Oladipo is expected to undergo surgery this week to repair the torn patellar tendon in his left knee, according to the Miami Herald.

Victor Oladipo

MIN:25.79PTS:10.49 (45.54%)REB:3As:3.31ST:1.31BL:0.31TO:1.98GM:45ProfileNBA2022/2023

He sustained the injury during Game 3 of the 1st Round playoff series against theMilwaukee Buckson Saturday, and is set to undergo surgery sometime soon.

Oladipo, who turns 31 on May 4, is scheduled to travel to New York to undergo his third major knee surgery in just more than four years, but the belief is he will be able to make a full recovery.

While the timetable will become clearer after the surgery, the initial timeline offered to Oladipo includes a six-month recovery process. With workouts and court work beginning soon after, he could be cleared to return to game action as soon as early in 2024 next season, if everything goes as planned.

Prior to a season-ending injury in January 2019, Oladipo had developed into one of the top guards in the NBA. That ascension came to a halt when Oladipo needed a full year just to return to play for one of his previous teams, the Indiana Pacers.

During the 2020-21 NBA season, Oladipo was first traded from the Pacers to the Houston Rockets. Two months later, he was sent to the Heat, but played in only four games before another injury ended his season.

For the 2021-22 campaign, Oladipo only saw action in eight regular season games and 15 playoff contests. The numbers he delivered for the Heat were still far below what he had produced during his peak years with the Pacers.

This regular season, Oladipo played in only 42 games for the Heat. In those contests, Oladipo averaged 10.7 points, 3.5 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game.

Oladipo is making $8.75 million this season for the Heat and has a player option for next season worth $9.45 million.

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