2 Miami Heat role players that could spell trouble for Boston Celtics

Player that could give Boston Celtics trouble No. 2) Victor Oladipo

Had it not been for a torn quad that ended his season early last season and held him out through the majority of this year as well, Victor Oladipo could have realistically been in the running for his third All-Star nod and perhaps another All-Defensive selection as well in 2022.

Instead, he finds himself attached to a one-year, veteran’s minimum deal with the Heat, where he’s serving as a highly utilized reserve option whilst looking to capitalize on his production to strike on a more lucrative contract this coming summer.

So far into the playoffs, he has consistently been looking to tack on some extra digits to his next annual salary number with his brand of production, and, heading into this Eastern Conference Finals matchup against the Boston Celtics, he’ll continue to try and elevate his game to help aid in the efforts to achieve both his personal as well as his team’s goals.

An individual who, just two years ago, was viewed as a legitimate franchise-caliber player, Oladipo has certainly shown flashes of his old self throughout the playoffs, seeing a 23-point and three-steal performance on 50 percent shooting from deep during his lone start and overall averages of 12.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.3 steals, and almost half a block per game since closing out the Atlanta Hawks in Game 5 of the first round.

While Boston does, in fact, boast the top defensive unit from the regular season and the third-best of this year’s postseason, considering the fact that the Heat already have a talented Big-3 and a deserving Sixth Man of the Year candidate in Tyler Herro, a motivated former All-NBA talent coming off the pine could wind up being more than a handful for them to deal with.

If Victor Oladipo can turn it on and find a way to roll back to clock at a regular rate, this could be a long and grueling series for the Celtics.