Victor Oladipo named to the Eastern Conference All-Stars for a second straight year

Just before tip off against Orlando, the Indiana Pacers received news that Victor Oladipo would be named to his second All-Star appearance.

The vote, which took place after Oladipo’s season ending knee injury, opted to reward Oladipo and the Pacers for what had been a successful season to that point. While Oladipo had not played to his All-Star level from last year or the beginning of this season since returning from an earlier knee injury, it was going to be difficult to keep him out given the success of the Pacers to that point.

Oladipo offered extensive appreciation in the honor in a statement from the team:

Unfortunately, the injury means Oladipo will be swapped out of the game itself, almost certainly not for a current member of the Indiana roster. Even at 32-15 and in 3rd place in the East, it was going to be difficult to find a second representative for the Pacers given the incredibly difficult question of who Indiana’s second best player actually is, a question that has not been answered in the wake of Oladipo’s injury during their four game losing streak.

Commissioner Adam Silver will choose Oladipo’s replacement, leaving a slight chance someone from the Pacers may still be chosen. However, it will be hard to justify a spot that isn’t based entirely on Indiana’s record over the recent performance of someone like D’Angelo Russell, as frustrating as it will be to see Toronto, Milwaukee, and Philadelphia all have two representatives in the game, while Indiana is left out in the cold.

It’s still a high honor for Oladipo and the Pacers, to see the growth of both sides result in a second straight All-Star selection given the original expectations when he and Domantas Sabonis arrived in Indianapolis.