NEW YORK – Kelly Oubre Jr. is finding himself in a nice groove as of late for the Philadelphia 76ers. While just a stretch of two consecutive great games doesn’t seem like much, the way that Oubre has played is super promising.
In the 76ers' loss to the Brooklyn Nets, Oubre led the game with a season-high 30 points on 11-20 shooting and tallied six rebounds and four assists. Last game, when Philly defeated the Dallas Mavericks, Oubre tallied 21 points on 7-17 shooting, five rebounds and four assists. He did a lot of his damage in the paint, shooting 12-17 on shots within five feet of the hoop. All that rim pressure earned him trips to the free throw line, from which he has shot 12-15 over the last two games.
In both games, Oubre came off the bench. Nick Nurse decided to switch up his lineups to bring Kyle Lowry into the starting lineup for his sturdiness and intelligence on both ends of the floor and to get Oubre working off the bench with the post-trade-deadline iteration of the 76ers. While the altered lineup spot may not have been directly what unlocked this current level, it certainly hasn’t slowed Oubre down.
“Just attacking, being aggressive, getting back to myself,” Oubre said. “I think I realized what my first step can do and not just stand flat-footed and try to shoot threes and all of that. So yeah, just attacking the rim and just making the right play.”
Getting downhill is Oubre's strength and something that Nurse hoped would come more frequently out of his move to the bench. Nurse wanted Oubre to return to the level of production he was at to begin the season, where he shot and scored the ball with decisiveness. That stretch was made easier with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey around but features a mindset that Oubre can still take with him to any game.
“I keep saying we got to play to these guys' strengths,” Nurse said, saying that the goal could be accomplished by “getting him up high on the floor a little bit more, giving him more options, giving him some more space to go ahead and kind of turning them loose a little bit.”
Oubre's point total understandably stands out but his assist total is also notable. His last two games mark the first time all season that he recorded at least three assists in consecutive games. Only committing one turnover across both games underscores how much he's tapping into his playmaking skills and making good decisions.
Because Oubre is such a determined scorer, he can often draw two defenders toward him when he gets a window to shoot or drive. Even though his tendency is always to take it himself, he can see when easy playmaking opportunities present themselves.
the Jr. connection. pic.twitter.com/5iyHf4EqRy
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“That's what playmakers are: they can create shots for themselves and others,” Oubre said. “And when you're creating shots for yourself at a high rate, people start helping and you have teammates that are open — and that comes with opportunity. So I'm realizing that that's the flow of it. These guys are making plays for others, but they're making plays for themselves. But then that opens everything up for everybody else.”
Oubre being numb to cold shooting stretches can often be one of his worst tendencies. But sometimes, it's his best. The cruse of players who show no fear is that by the time it becomes clear whether they’re building up to a heater or building a house of bricks, it's too late. Damage has already been done and the 76ers will be left hoping that Oubre's shooting is efficient enough to live with his volume.
The 76ers have put Oubre in a bench role on and off this season, asking him to take on various roles in various lineups. The energy he provides is a constant whether he starts games, ends them or plays any combination of minutes in between.
“At the end of the day, I just gotta go out there, keep a smile on my face, stay professional and just do whatever the team needs me to do,” Oubre said. “That's what I'm here for and that's what I'm gonna continue to do. But I know my worth and I know my value so I'm gonna continue to just stay swaggy out here.”
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