Mike McCann on Oladipo:
First things first: Michael Jordan, even in college, is a superior scorer to Oladipo. Michael had a career average of 17.7 ppg for UNC. Oladipo is at just over fourteen a night this season, and that’s the highest of his career. But other than that, it’s scary how their stat lines seem to match up. Jordan shot 54.0% from the floor throughout his college days; Oladipo is at 54.4%. Jordan averaged 5.0 rebounds per game, and dished out 1.8 assists a night. Oladipo (career stats) is at exactly 5.0 rebounds per contest, and 1.7 assists a game. The weird comparisons don’t stop there.
Perhaps the greatest comparisons between Oladipo and Jordan fall away from the pure offensive skill set. While Oladipo’s shooting numbers this year (64% from the floor, 51% from three) are better than Jordan at any point during his collegiate career, Jordan still takes the cake as to who is more gifted offensively. But the reason Oladipo has been so successful in putting up those numbers is his athleticism, something he shares with Jordan. Oladipo can leap through the roof, perhaps as good as any college shooting guard since Michael himself. He can make a move and get by pretty much anyone. When you watch Oladipo play, one of the main things that sticks out is how incredibly fast he is. He can get from one end of the floor to the other as quick as anyone. So could Michael. Jordan was so good in a half court set that his speed and agility in the open court often go unremembered. Jordan was as fast as any point guard when he was at Carolina, and even in his young NBA days he could outrun most. If there is a college point guard faster than Oladipo, I haven’t seen him, and that includes Trey Burke.
Oladipo’s defense is what separates him, an attribute Jordan also shared. Jordan averaged 1.7 steals a night, and just shy of one block per night. Oladipo is right in the same ballpark. He’s at 1.5 steals per game, and 0.5 blocks per game. But Oladipo’s 2.4 steals per game this season is higher than any number Jordan put up while in Chapel Hill. Oladipo looks like a better college defender then Jordan. Michael was a great defender, but he became a much better defender once he got to the NBA. Oladipo sits at the big boy table defensively with Jordan, and Victor may even have a better seat.
