Leading up to the lottery I was not overly enthused about Oladipo as a prospect, I felt he was the sixth best prospect in the draft. I've been reconsidering lately with the clear adoration NBA front offices seem to have for Oladipo, most heavily reiterated in Ford's article in which NBA executives were polled anonymously and scored him as the best prospect in the draft. And for better or worse, he's the Kidd-Gilchrist of this year's draft: wooing Chad Ford, Bill Simmons, and NBA team higher-ups with his athleticism, motor, work-ethic, and attitude. There seems to be a consensus that he's sure to succeed on some level, be it as a Tony Allen-type stopper or a poor man's Dwyane Wade.
I was starting to believe in Oladipo and considering him as maybe my second or third favorite prospect, but I just can't do it. To me, there's still too much going against him. He was not on the NBA radar as a freshman. His offensive game does not really pass the eye-test: he's a 2-guard that just learned how to shoot, turns the ball over quite a bit, cannot score off the dribble on much more than a straight-line drive, is largely uninvolved in the pick and roll, and just isn't a guy that can go make a play for you. And he does not rate very impressively in the advanced metrics, with Pelton placing him 17th in his draft rater.
Oladipo has athleticism and measurables that lend themselves to the belief that upside is plentiful with him; that he's just scratching the surface. He has drive, an indomitable work-ethic, and the "it" factor, so he's sure to maximize that potential. And yet he's had three years in college and still lacks refinement. He's missing the kind of acumen that you would expect from a player with his work-ethic and experience level. How can a guy who works so hard and has a "hates to lose" mentality, be this underdeveloped as a ball-handler? He's improving as a passer, decision-maker, and shooter, but he's middling at best at this point.
There are reasons to believe in Oladipo and I can't help but like and cheer for him to succeed on the NBA level, but I just can't seem to see him in the same light that many seem to be doing at this point.