Report: Pacers’ Oladipo eyes late January return

Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo hopes to make his return from a ruptured right quad tendon in about a month, ESPN reported on Wednesday.

Per the report, Oladipo hopes to return as soon as late January or perhaps in early February, which would be about a year removed from his injury.

Oladipo was injured Jan. 23 and has not played since, though he has steadily ramped up his rehab and workouts recently. The Pacers were 32-15 at the time of his injury, before going 16-19 the rest of the season and getting swept by Boston in the first round of the postseason.

This year, the Pacers have started 21-10 without Oladipo, putting them within 1 1/2 games of the second spot in the Eastern Conference.

Oladipo was in the middle of his second consecutive All-Star campaign when he was hurt, averaging 18.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists across 36 games. In 2017-18, his first season with the Pacers, he averaged a career-high 23.1 points with 5.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists along with a league-best 2.4 steals per game.

The 27-year-old is in his seventh NBA season. He spent his first three with the Orlando Magic before one year in Oklahoma City. He was acquired by Indiana — along with big man Domantas Sabonis — in exchange for Paul George in July of 2017.

–Field Level Media