The green flag drops on Victor Oladipo's regular season on Friday. The same could be said for the entire Pacers team in fact, now that it's — finally — fully assembled and ready to run without restrictor plates.
The limit on Oladipo's playing time — to 24 minutes when he first returned seven games ago and then to 28 for the last two before the All-Star break — has been lifted. He can play as long as his heart and coach Nate McMillan's desire allows when the Pacers resume their season on Friday in New York against the Knicks.