Miami Heat guard Victor Oladipo made his first appearance in 11 months. After almost a year, the dynamic guard made his return Monday against the Rockets.
The two-time All-Star logged 15 minutes and scored 11 points to go with four assists in Miami’s 123–106 victory over Houston.
Victor Oladipo played his first game since April 2021
vs Rockets:
11 PTS
4 AST
4-7 FG
2-3 3PT#HEATCulture #victoroladipo #NBA https://t.co/Dlys8he4dA— Hedge_out (@hedge_out) March 8, 2022
Oladipo received a standing ovation upon checking into the game at the 1:55 mark of the first quarter.
Oladipo appeared in only four games in 2021 after the Heat acquired him from the Rockets via trade last March.
He played only four games, before going down with injury. The two-time All-Star went through an offseason surgery in May and eventually signed a one-year minimum deal in free agency.
This was the second procedure in two years for Oladipo, who saw his trajectory to stardom being derailed due to multiple foot injuries.
The veteran guard missed 201 games since the initial injury three years ago, sidelined for a year following the first surgery and 11 more months after the second surgery.
Miami could have a good one in Oladipo going forward. The guard will add depth to an already deep team, which leads the East.
“Everybody is really encouraging him,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said on Oladipo. “They’ve seen him behind the scenes, really working and grinding.”
The Heat (44-22) have won 12 of their last 14 games, and they remain the first seed in the East. They will continue the seven-game home stand on Wednesday against the Suns, in a battle between the teams with the best record in both conferences.
