The Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers have a rich playoff history. The most recent chapter was last year, where Tyrese Haliburton ripped the Cavs' hearts out during the second round. It served as the final blow to a magical Cleveland season that saw Donovan Mitchell and company win 64 games.
Before that though, the two franchises last met in the first-round during 2018, back when LeBron James donned the wine and gold. The Cavs and Pacers duked it out for seven games, including a legendary game five performance from James that saw him hit the game-winner, his first of two during that run. Cleveland won that series in seven.
Nearly eight years later, that 2018 series is still impacting the Cavs, as they made a move that you may not have noticed.
Cleveland will be the latest team to try and revive Victor Oladipo’s career
After being out of the NBA for nearly two years, Oladipo made his return to the NBA G League this season with the Wisconsin Herd. He was just recently traded to the Cavs’ affiliate, the Cleveland Charge, and will now try to break into the league with them.
Oladipo was a thorn in the Cavs’ side during that 2018 series. In that series, he averaged 23 points per game, eight rebounds, six assists, and two steals per game. He was going toe-to-toe with James and almost willed the Pacers to a playoff series win.
2018 was also the best year of Oladipo’s career and he was finally living up to his second overall pick billing. The year after though, he suffered a gruesome leg injury that he could never really recover from. He went from budding star to role player in a matter of two seasons, which led to him being out of the league prior to the 2023-24 season.
Oladipo played in China for a season, before making a return to the NBA this past season after an impressive preseason run. Now, he will try to make his comeback with Cleveland’s organization, nearly a full-circle moment for the guard. He has gone from trying to take them down in the playoffs to now hoping to make their roster next season.
Oladipo has been pretty solid in the G League this season. He’s averaging nearly 14 PPG, five rebounds, and four assists. He has shown that he has a little bit left in the tank, and if he can continue to string together solid performances, the Cavs could give him a chance with the main roster next year.