OKLAHOMA CITY – Victor Oladipo's numbers are impressive, but the way he is compiling them is more impressive.

His shot selection has been excellent. The consistency in Oladipo's game has been there, night after night. The season is young, but so is Oladipo, still only 25 years old, and off to a promising start with the Indiana Pacers.

They dropped a 114-96 decision to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night, but for the fifth-consecutive game, Oladipo led the Pacers in scoring, this time with a season-high 35 points. There had to be extra adrenaline pumping through Oladipo, facing his former team on their home floor. But nothing about OIadipo was out of control, not his emotions nor his game.

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People are noticing, like Pacers coach Nate McMillan.

"I like his pace," said McMillan after the game. "He's doing a good job of not forcing the issue. His shot selection has been better. He's knocking down shots and in a pretty good rhythm, and we try to go to him as much as possible, because he was the one guy with the hot hand. He's just playing with a nice pace."

Oladipo kept telling anyone who asked that facing Oklahoma City would be just another game. But he said before the season that he had a "brick" on his shoulder, after constantly hearing that the Pacers didn't get enough in return when they traded Paul George to Oklahoma City, in exchange for Oladipo and center Domantas Sabonis.

Wednesday night, it was George who looked out of sorts facing his former team, fouling out with just 10 points and one rebound. Meanwhile, Oladipo looked relaxed and confident, playing with the swagger of a player who felt in rhythm.

"I was just trying to win," said Oladipo. "I'm locked in on bringing it every night. That's my focus. I think we've got a promising future this year, and our best basketball is ahead of us."

Thunder coach Billy Donovan remains of fan of Oladipo's, even after the trade. Before George asked out of Indiana and became available, the Thunder had no plans to trade Oladipo. But the Thunder did not believe they could pass up an opportunity to acquire George, trying to build a championship caliber team around Russell Westbrook, the NBA's reigning MVP, who had a triple-double (28 points, 16 assists, 10 rebounds) Wednesday against the Pacers.

Donovan spent some time with Oladipo during the offseason before the trade, and has not been surprised by Oladipo's fast start.

"I think the biggest thing with Victor is his commitment this offseason," Donovan said. "He's done a great job of taking care of himself physically. He's lost a lot of weight. He's gotten himself in incredible shape. As fast as they're playing, and the condition he's in, he's really capitalized on that."

Donovan first met Oladipo when he was at DeMatha High School in Maryland, before he blossomed into a college star at Indiana University. Oladipo as a high school player was much different than the player Oladipo has become.

"He worked so hard to become a good shooter and good ballhandler," Donavan said. "His game in high school was basically as a power forward with an incredible motor. He was an undersized power forward, and through a lot of hard work in high school and a lot of hard work in college, he developed into a scorer.

"Then as the second player taken in the draft (2013), right from Day 1 he got an opportunity to play. I think he's finally figured out what he needs to do to become the player he wants to become."

Oladipo is going to log heavy minutes this season for the Pacers, but he is young enough and in good enough shape to handle it. There has been a nice mixture to Oladipo's game, between jump shots and drives to the basket, and he has gotten to the free throw line more than any other Pacer. Oladipo made all eight of his free throw attempts against Oklahoma City.

The fans at Chesapeake Energy Arena gave Oladipo a warm ovation before the game, and he acknowledged several familiar faces in the stands during the game. But Oladipo has found a new home with the Pacers. So far, he looks very comfortable.

Follow IndyStar Pacers Insider Clifton Brown on Twitter: @CliftonGBrown.