FILE – Victor Oladipo #7 warms up prior to playing the Toronto Raptors at Toyota Center on March 22, 2021 in Houston, Texas. Bob Levey/Getty Images/AFP
Miami Heat guard Victor Oladipo could be cleared to resume full-contact basketball activities as soon as November after last week’s quadriceps surgery, his orthopedic surgeon Dr. Jonathan Glashow told ESPN on Saturday.
Oladipo underwent the surgery on May 13 and it was his second in 28 months to repair his right quadriceps. Glashow, who didn’t perform the first procedure, said he was stunned over the damage he found.
“I repaired the quad tendon and did it a little differently than it was done before,” Glashow told ESPN. “The quad wasn’t really hooked up. It was torn, and I reattached it. I was amazed he was playing with what he had. I’m very optimistic that I could clear him in six months, by November. I think he’s going to play really well again.
“It went extremely well, and it’s healing beautifully. I’m confident he’ll play next year.”
Oladipo has played in just 52 games over the past two seasons, including 33 this season when he played for the Indiana Pacers (nine games), Houston Rockets (20) and the Heat (four). He averaged 19.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists.
Oladipo, 29, went to Houston as part of the mid-January trade in which James Harden went to the Brooklyn Nets. He was traded by the Rockets to Miami in late March.
The two-time All-Star was shut down by the Heat after aggravating the quad while injuring his right knee in a game against the Los Angeles Lakers on April 8. He also is set to become a free agent this summer after completing a four-year, $85 million contract.
Oladipo has career averages of 17.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 454 games (394 starts) in eight NBA seasons with the Orlando Magic, Oklahoma City Thunder, Pacers, Rockets and Heat.