Kelly Oubre Jr. puts together his best performance as a Sixer, accomplishing his goal to fit in and stand out
After muscling between two defenders to draw a foul, Kelly Oubre Jr. watched as his first free-throw attempt bounced around the rim and into the net. He motioned his hands down as if asking the buzzing Xfinity Mobile Arena crowd to remain calm, then repeated that gesture when he swished the second try to give the 76ers a seven-point lead over the Orlando Magic with 3 minutes, 37 seconds to play.
The reaction might seem peculiar for Oubre, who plays a relentless style punctuated by charismatic celebrations. And that was there Monday night, too. The arms crossed into an “X” after going airborne for an early block, which led to a Tyrese Maxey three-pointer at the opposite end. The pushups came when Oubre hit the deck in the second half. The smile and flex flashed after he drove the baseline and converted a hanging third-quarter shot.
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Yet the dash of calm helped quell the Magic’s late surge in a 136-124 Sixers win to move to 3-0. It came down the stretch of a night when Oubre finished with 25 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, and two blocks to complement another outstanding performance from guards Maxey (43 points, eight assists) and VJ Edgecombe (26 points, seven assists). And it may have capped the veteran wing’s best game in a Sixers uniform, according to coach Nick Nurse — and, perhaps, Oubre himself.
“It was definitely my best all-around game,” Oubre said when asked if he agreed with his coach’s assessment. “Just energy. Not forcing things. … Just playing to win. That’s just the big mantra here. Slowing down and letting the game come to me.”
Oubre was an efficient 9-of-16 from the floor, including a tip-in that put the Sixers up, 120-115, with 4:11 remaining. His rebounds were crucial for a Sixers team missing Joel Embiid and Dominick Barlow against the Magic’s big lineup and were a result of Oubre’s commitment to “[spring] up and [snap] them down,” Nurse said. Oubre spent much of the night guarding Orlando All-Star Paolo Banchero, while “giving away 50 pounds, maybe,” the coach quipped. Maxey also highlighted Oubre’s vocal leadership during an early huddle.
“He’s been, like, perfect for us,” Maxey said of Oubre.
It is easy to forget that Oubre arrived in Philly about two years ago as a last-minute free agency addition aiming to revive his career. He had a reputation for playing too recklessly — and not impacting winning — during stints with the Washington Wizards, Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, and Charlotte Hornets.
But Oubre has become a mainstay with the Sixers, averaging 15.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.3 steals in 131 games with the franchise. Those steady contributions occurred even while playing alongside a revolving cast of teammates — and through his own injuries.
Built-up scar tissue from separate surgeries on his left little finger and thumb, Oubre said, hindered a three-point shooting percentage that dipped to 29.3% last season. So he spent the offseason working with a therapist who helped him regain range of motion in his wrist, hand, and fingers. Though the sample size is small, Oubre has connected on 6 of 15 long-range attempts (40%) in three games.
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Staying under control — “playing off two feet” before rising for a shot attempt or making a pass — while aggressively driving into the lane also remains an emphasis. Oubre shared on media day that during the offseason, he watched a compilation of decision-making “lowlights” with personal trainer Drew Hanlen. They were “all me just going 100 miles an hour, kind of brainless,” Oubre said.
“That’s the evolution of my game,” he said. “I’m going into Year 11, but I’m still developing like I’m in Year 1. In my head, I’m always going to be a beginner.”
Yet for the most online Sixers fans, Oubre dropped back into the news cycle days before camp began. In an Instagram post, he said, “I love Philly, but the love doesn’t seem to be reciprocated. What happened to this place?”
At media day, Oubre said he felt like outsiders had eliminated him from the Sixers’ roster equation and did not apologize for his digital words. Those comments came shortly after a report surfaced that the Sixers had explored trading Oubre, who is on an expiring $8.4 million contract, before the start of the season. But Oubre stressed that he was “all-in. I wear this jersey for a reason. It’s because I want to.”
“It was just something to just let you guys know that I’m still here,” he said. “And I’m not here to fit in. I’m here to stand out and help this team the best that I possibly can.”
Right now, Oubre is accomplishing both of those goals in the Sixers’ more traditional lineups with Embiid, along with their smaller three-guard looks.
His athleticism can thrive in the Sixers’ push to play at a higher pace. He hit a massive corner three-pointer in their season-opening victory at the Boston Celtics and was a game-high plus-18 in Saturday’s victory over the Hornets.
Then came Monday, which may have been Oubre’s best performance as a Sixer. And when asked which areas his game had developed the most to have such an outing, he gave a quintessential Oubre answer.
“I’m still heavily pondering, ‘What does Kelly Oubre Jr. even do?’” he said. “So I guess we’ll see.”
