On April 4, Beijing time, the Heat narrowly defeated the Raptors 114-109. After this campaign, the Heat continued to rank first in the East with 51 wins and 28 losses, 2 wins ahead of the second-place Green Army. Heat player Max Strus became a Surpriser, shooting 7-of-9 from three-point range and 2-of-2 from the free throw line, with 23 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal.
However, what we want to focus on today is Oladipo, who played 27 minutes off the bench, shooting 7 of 11, shooting 6 of 9 from three-point range, 1 of 2 from the free throw line, and having 21 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 5 turnovers. In the fourth quarter, Audi hit consecutive hits from the outside, including an ultra-long-range three-pointer, to help the Heat withstood the Raptors' momentum of chasing points.
It was Audi's seventh game since his comeback and his first 20+ of the season. The Sect Leader checked, and the last time Oladipo cut 20+ dates back to March 22, 2021, 378 days have passed. Speaking about his performance, Audi said: "I can't control the environment, but when the coach calls my number, I'm always ready to play. ”
Oladipo scored 11 points, 4 points, 5 points, 2 points, 7 points and 9 points in his first six games, averaging only 6.3 points, 1.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. Prior to today's game, Audi was DNP for three consecutive games, and at one point fell out of the Heat's rotation lineup. Today he regained his confidence with a 20+ and proved to the team that he can still play.
Oladipo's experience in recent years is similar to that of Thomas Jr. On January 25, 2019, Oladipo suffered a torn tendon in his right knee and was reimbursed for the season, and he did not come back until January 30, 2020. In the 2019-20 season, Oladipo only played 19 games, but the Pacers still gave him a four-year, 80 million early contract extension.
Oladipo refused, feeling that he would definitely be able to get a bigger contract when he recovered. At that time, Audi's contract was $84 million for four years, which expired in the summer of 2021. The Pacers knew they couldn't keep him, and on January 14, 2021, the team traded Oladipo to the Rockets. On March 26, 2021, he was sent to the Heat by rockets.
In just over two months Oladipo changed three teams, plus a contract year, and he was eager to prove himself. Unexpectedly, the injury came to the door again. On April 9, 2021, during the Heat and Lakers game, Oladipo was injured when he dunked. On May 13, he underwent surgery on his right quadriceps tendon and was reimbursed for the season.
Throughout the 2020-21 season, Oladipo played 33 games, averaging 19.8 points, 4.8 boards, 4.6 assists and 1.4 steals per game, shooting 41% from the field and 32% from three-point range. In the 2021 offseason, Oladipo is seeking a contract with an annual salary of more than $10 million, but most teams are not interested, and he is back on the Heat with a year-end salary.
Originally giving up 4 years and $80 million, and now with a $2.39 million basic salary contract, Oladipo's intestines are remorseful! Four years ago, in the 2017-18 season, Oladipo averaged 23.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.4 steals per game, and he was named the regular season steal king, named to the best defensive first team, and selected for the best team three teams.
In 2018 and 2019, Oladipo was selected for the All-Star Game twice. At that time, he could not have imagined that he would become a base salary player in three years. In fact, Audi is only 30 years old this year, and he still has time to chase big contracts! Come on, Bitter Mamba!