Philadelphia 76ers wing Kelly Oubre was struck by a motor vehicle in Philadelphia Saturday night according to Adrian Wojnarowski. Oubre was walking near his residence in the city when he was struck a team spokesperson told Wojnarowski.
Oubre is currently hospitalized, but thankfully in stable condition after the incident. Representatives from the team, including the team’s president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, are with him in the hospital according to Wojnarowski.
The far less important matter, unimportant even in comparison, is that of Oubre’s eventual return to the court. Before even delving into the expectation, I cannot stress enough how the only aspect of this situation that matters is that Oubre is stable and it appears as though he will make a full recovery. As we have seen even earlier today, the same cannot be said for everyone.
Earlier Saturday morning in Houston Texas, another motor vehicle crash led to the tragic death of six individuals, including former NFL cornerback D.J. Hayden. The senseless loss of life due to reckless driving impacts people every day and in each case, it is horrific and heartbreaking. Above all else, it is a blessing that Oubre is not counted among their numbers.
His health is of the highest priority, but the unfortunate side of this business is that the discussion of when he will return to the court is also a necessary component.
According to Woj, Oubre is not expected to miss the rest of the regular season, but he will, in all likelihood, miss significant time due to his injuries.
Losing Oubre for any amount of time is quite a blow for the Sixers. The nine-year veteran was off to one of the best starts of his career, averaging 16.3 points while shooting 50.0% from the field and 37.8% from three.
Without Oubre, the Sixers must find an alternative scoring source past Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Tobias Harris. There are few other natural scorers currently on the roster, so there may be some experimenting in the interim.
In either case, the Sixers must adjust to life without Oubre but thankfully, for both the team and the many whom Oubre has touched in his life, they will only have to do so temporarily.
*Update* Kelly Oubre was released from the hospital Saturday evening according to Adrian Wojnarowski. He is still expected to miss a significant amount of time.
