Guard Victor Oladipo exuded optimism about the Houston Rockets after his debut in the franchise, in stark contrast to James Harden’s final comments as a member of the franchise.
“I know better days are coming for the Houston Rockets, and I look forward to being part of those special days,” said Oladipo after his 32-point performance and nine assists in the 125-120 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Monday night. .
It was the debut with the second highest score in the franchise’s history, behind Harden’s 37-point performance at the opening of the 2012-13 season.
Oladipo, twice Indiana Pacers’ All-Star, whose career was interrupted by a quadriceps tendon tear suffered in January 2019, was acquired by Rockets in last week’s four-team blockbuster, which sent Harden to the Brooklyn Nets. Harden was aware that a deal was probably close when he declared that the Rockets “just are not good enough” and could not be “fixed” in what amounted to a farewell speech after an unbalanced defeat by the Los Angeles Lakers, his last play in a Rockets uniform.
Oladipo trained with the Rockets for the first time on Sunday and played out of position as a point guard against the Bulls because John Wall lost his third consecutive game with a knee pain. Oladipo had four of his seven turns in the first quarter, which ended with the Rockets losing by 12 points.
“It started out a little unstable, which is natural, but you can see what we can be with him on the floor,” said Rockets coach Stephen Silas. “We can see that he can be a top scorer, he can make plays for others, he can really go after that on the defensive end. So we are excited about him and the prospects of what he can do and what he can be . “
Oladipo starred in the rest of the game, scoring 29 points from 12 of 19 shots and giving all nine assists in the final three quarters. Seven of Oladipo’s assists went to the center of Christian Wood (30 points, 11 out of 16 shots), which showed the potential to form a prolific pick-and-roll partnership.
Oladipo, who is in the final season of his contract, stressed the need for patience while the Rockets form a chemical on the spot. However, he repeatedly emphasized how excited he is about Houston’s potential, despite the Rockets’ 4-8 record.
“We are not trying to be a good team. We are trying to be a great team,” said Oladipo. “We have the capacity to do it. We have the staff and the coach to do it. Now it comes down to doing it and acquiring each day, each possession of the ball and playing each game as if it were the last. That is the mentality of this team.
“We have to continue to improve, obviously, the chemistry continues to grow, the defense gets better. But the mindset can never change, and the approach can never change. That’s what this is about, man. go out to play with that chip, that brick, whatever is on our backs, whatever is the biggest thing you can carry on your back and go outside and compete for each other. If we do that, I really believe that we can be a very good team. “