The NBA season has been nothing short of frustrating and disappointing for the Philadelphia 76ers. Coming into the year with such lofty aspirations of contending, the Sixers currently sit entirely outside of the playoff conversation, including the play-in tournament.
Injuries have been among the key reasons for the team’s performance being below expectations. The team has dealt with an inability to perform or even build chemistry largely due to lineup inconsistency. Those who have remained on the court for the Sixers have been vital in keeping the team afloat this season. No player is a better example of this than Kelly Oubre.
The ten-year veteran initially signed with the Sixers late in the 2023-24 NBA offseason. Having failed to find an offer meeting his self-defined worth, Oubre bet on himself, spurning more money from elsewhere to sign for the veteran minimum with Philadelphia to play a large role on a contending team. Oubre’s bet paid off to a degree, as he signed a deal worth nearly three times the amount he had signed previously.
Having formed a new Big 3 with the addition of Paul George, Philadelphia reunited with Oubre in the hopes that he would serve as a connecting piece in the starting lineup. A player whose versatility could elevate the play of their stars, not too dissimilar to what Aaron Gordon has done for the Denver Nuggets or Josh Hart for the New York Knicks.
In 41 games played this season, Oubre has averaged 13.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.5 steals. Whether the Sixers have found themselves needing a boost in scoring or rebounding or even as their primary point-of-attack defender, Oubre has provided exactly what the team has needed.
Nick Nurse praises his Swiss Army knife
Oubre’s ability was on full display against the Chicago Bulls on Saturday, Jan. 25. After the team’s practice the following Monday, head coach Nick Nurse discussed Oubre’s impact in all areas.
“Really huge,” Nurse said. “Especially the other night in Chicago; I think that we needed [him]. Paul went out, and Tyrese went to the bench. It was a close game, and Kelly really asserted himself and kind of provided a lot of the offense for that stretch [that] Tyrese was out, and that was huge.”
“I think it almost reinvigorated us all of a sudden,” Nurse continued. “We’re all worried about where we’re gonna score from, you know, with Tyrese out and Paul out, and then Kelly goes in and provides like four plays in a row. All of a sudden, we seem to like, ‘Alright, man, we got something here. We found something here.'”
Regarding Oubre’s rebounding ability, Nurse continued, “The rebounding is super huge. Again, we’re, we got a rebound by committee. And he’s a big part of that committee. He’s really tracked him down on the defensive ends and fought for him and played great.”
Nurse then spoke of Oubre’s commitment to the defensive side of the ball upon coming to Philadelphia, “We asked him, first and foremost, to start playing defense, [to] be a big part of our defense, because [he has] the talent, the skills to do it, and that took some time. There were some ups and downs, but I think, for the most part, he settled in. He was happy he was here. We were happy he was here.”
“I got a lot of time for [Oubre],” Nurse continued. “A lot of love for him. [I] appreciate that he keeps hanging in there, and he goes out there and fights like heck almost every night. And that’s still part of guys being available, and guys are going to fight every night. [That’s] still kind of like, where we like to be, who we’d like to be.”
One thing is clear, if nothing else. Kelly Oubre has himself a fan in his head coach Nick Nurse.
Sixers would be wise to retain Oubre
With the NBA trade deadline rapidly approaching, there has been some speculation that the Sixers could trade Oubre. However, that decision would surely prove to be shortsighted. Why is this? because of an NBA rule known as Early Bird Rights.
Once a player is with a team for two consecutive seasons, that team is able to offer him 175% of his previous salary — Oubre is making just under $8 million this season — or 105% of the league’s average salary as the starting salary of a new contract in free agency. Signing a two-year deal with a player option, the Sixers now hold Oubre’s Early Bird Rights, and Oubre has the ability to decline his option this offseason and re-sign with the Sixers for a deal worth up to $62.6 million, which exceeds the projected non-taxpayer MLE ($60.6 million).
Philadelphia may be able to right the ship this season, or they may bottom out at some point, unable to overcome their incessant injuries. Regardless of where the Sixers end up, the best version of both this season and their future includes Kelly Oubre.
