Houston Rockets: The 3 options the Rockets have with Victor Oladipo

Houston Rockets Victor Oladipo option #3: Trade him before the deadline

The most pressing option the Rockets have with Victor Oladipo is to trade him before the NBA’s trade deadline. This option should net the Rockets the most value but it means this season could get ugly and Oladipo’s trade value has only dropped since he was acquired.

If Oladipo’s season is split into two, his nine games with the Indiana Pacers and 15 games with the Rockets, it’s clear that his time in Houston has been a step back. The most obvious culprit has been the abandonment of his scoring touch.

                     PPG     FG%      3P%      USG%     AST%     TOV%

Indiana:     20.0   42.1%   36.2%   26.9%   19.4%      9.7%

Houston:  19.9    38.7%   31.3%   30.3%    25.5%    10.2%

The main reason that Oladipo has seen his shooting fall off in Houston is that he hasn’t been able to get to the rim as often and he’s taking far more unassisted 3-pointers. As a Pacer, 31.6-percent of his shots came within three feet of the rim but as a Rocket, that number has dropped to 21.1-percent.

What’s encouraging is that Oladipo has been converting more of his layups since the trade but as a general rule it’s better to take more lay-ups even if your efficiency drops off some. While Oladipo is getting to the rim less often, he’s also getting set up behind the arc far less frequently.

With the Pacers, 72-percent of Oladipo’s 3-pointers were assisted, which has dropped to 60-percent with the Rockets. In Indiana, Oladipo was a part of the offense, and too often in Houston, he has been the offense.

Oladipo’s trade value is directly tied to his fit within a team’s offensive system. If he’s coming into a situation where he’s expected to lead your offense you’re going to get diminishing returns, but if he is your third option or a second option next to a savant passer he can be a productive scorer.

The Rockets, when they acquired Oladipo, were likely hoping to land multiple first-round picks if they traded him but now they’ll only get that if the picks are highly protected. The option of trading Oladipo before the deadline is likely the Rockets’ best option but it is not as valuable an option as it once was.

Next: Option #2