NBA draft 2013: Indiana’s Victor Oladipo more than just a lockdown defender

Victor Oladipo made huge strides on offense as a junior at Indiana last season. (Andrew Hancock/SI)

Victor Oladipo is coming off perhaps the best junior breakout season since UConn’s Kemba Walker exploded back in 2010-11. Already well established as a lockdown perimeter defender, Oladipo made huge strides on the offensive side of the ball this past season, and that has catapulted him high into the lottery — possibly as high as the No. 2 overall pick.

It’s easy to look at Oladipo’s progression from three-point range as a barometer of his expanded game. After making just 18-of-74 threes in his first two seasons, Oladipo knocked down 30-of-68 (44.1 percent) this past season, and showed the ability to make pressure ones, like the one that iced the Round of 32 NCAA tournament win over Temple. Of course, NBA shooting guards have to be able to shoot from deep, but Oladipo brings so much more to the table than that, both in transition and in halfcourt sets.