Heat reserve guard Victor Oladipo, still dealing with left knee tendinosis, is locked in to miss the first seven contests of the 2022/23 season, as he will not be joining his Miami teammates on their upcoming three-game road trip slate, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
Miami will next play at home on November 1 against the reigning champion Warriors. Oladipo, who has undergone two knee surgeries since 2019, signed a two-year, $18.2MM deal to remain with Miami during the 2022 offseason.
There’s more out of the Southeast Division:
- With several Hornets players missing games due to injuries and legal issues, Charlotte is relying heavily on Gordon Hayward, writes Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer. Through three games, the injury-prone 6’7″ veteran small forward has responded well, averaging 19.3 PPG on .550/.300/.786 shooting splits. The 32-year-old vet is also chipping in 4.7 APG and 3.3 RPG.
- Wizards small forward Corey Kispert, still rehabilitating from a left ankle sprain, has practiced with Washington’s G League affiliate club, the Capital City Go-Go, per Ava Wallace of The Washington Post (Twitter link). The No. 15 pick in the 2021 draft out of Gonzaga, Kispert averaged 8.2 PPG, 2.7 RPG and 1.1 APG across 77 games during his 2021/22 rookie season campaign with Washington. The 23-year-old has yet to play for the 2-1 Wizards.
- Magic deep bench center Bol Bol is doing his darnedest to carve out a definitive role in finite run, per Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel. For Orlando, the 22-year-old has appeared in 10+ minutes a night across four straight contests for the first time in his NBA career, according to Price. The 7’2″ big man, who boasts a 7’7″ wingspan, is averaging 10 PPG on 65.4% field goal shooting, along with 4.8 RPG, across 16 MPG. “It’s been very important for me because I feel like every game I’ve gotten better,” Bol said of his more consistent playing time.“I’m seeing stuff happen each game. The game’s starting to slow down the more I play.”