NBA Draft rumors: Victor Oladipo reportedly a favorite of many GMs

Oladipo could be a top-five pick given his freakish athleticism, lockdown defense and high basketball IQ.

May 24, 2013, 1:00 PM UTC

USA TODAY Sports

With the 2013 NBA Draft still over a month away, one player has already emerged as a personal favorite of general managers around the league: Victor Oladipo.

Oladipo, who was voted to the AP All-America Team last season, has seen his draft stock rise in recent weeks. His vertical leap was measured at 42” and his wingspan was recorded at 6’9.25 at the draft combine. For a player projected to play the off-guard position, those numbers will be awfully difficult for front office members to pass up.

Here is what Chad Ford wrote in a recent chat about Oladipo going as high as No. 2 to Orlando in this summer’s draft:

He's a possibility. We have them taking Trey Burke in our Mock primarily based on need. But I'm telling everyone that will listen -- Oladipo is the guy that GMs love in this draft. May be the only one. I've talked to 14 or 15 who tell me he's their favorite player. Almost zero downside and still significant upside. Not sure he's a fit in Cleveland or Washington -- but Orlando and Phoenix both look like strong fits. Burke may be a bigger need, but Oladipo might be the better player long-term.

It seems like Oladipo is close to being a lock for a top-five pick, although there’s still plenty of time for workouts and interviews to sway his draft stock in one way or another.

As Ford mentions, there is very little downside to Oladipo’s game. He averaged slightly more than 13 points, six rebounds and two assists a night, all while shooting nearly 60 percent from the floor and 44 percent from behind the arc. Some have argued he was the best defensive player in the nation this past season at Indiana, averaging 2.2 steals and nearly a block each game despite being somewhat undersized at 6’4.

Combine Oladipo’s offensive and defensive accolades with his reputation of being a team-first player and a leader in the locker room, and it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that NBA GMs already love him.