Sixers’ Kelly Oubre finding his place alongside the Joel Embiid-Tyrese Maxey two-man game
Oubre's aggressiveness has led to positive results as he defines his role alongside the 76ers' superstars.
The 76ers benefit greatly from Kelly Oubre Jr.’s ability to play off the Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey two-man game.
The swingman showed he could be effective alongside the All-Star duo last season. And his performance in Sunday’s victory over the Chicago Bulls showed nothing has changed.
Cutting to the basket and spotting up for three-pointers, Oubre finished with 12 points on 3-for-6 shooting along with 10 rebounds, three steals and one block. It was his second straight double-double and his first two since March.
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“That’s what I got to do,” Oubre said. “I want to put numbers on the board. I want to get stops. I want to be myself out there. And I’m blessed to have the same trainer (Drew Hanlen) as Joel and Tyrese. So I’m able to watch film with them together, see where I can fit in, show them where I’m open, show them where I can be better at and help them relieve some pressure off of them.
“But also, man, I’m trying to gain their trust, too, which I’ve done last year.”
His activity, confidence, aggressiveness, defensive buy-in and 7-foot-2 wingspan are all reasons why the 6-7 Oubre is a perfect pairing with Maxey in the Sixers starting backcourt.
As the Sixers reminded us Sunday, they’re at their best while Embiid and Maxey are in the two-man game. That offensive set forces opponents to back off guarding other players. That allows players like Oubre to get open and make plays.
He responded by getting out on the fastbreak. Oubre also became a screen-setter, forcing opponents to help out, which led to him getting open. And his hard cuts to the basket while Embiid was double-teamed made him close to unguardable. He also grabbed three huge offensive rebounds.
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Those are the little things that enabled Oubre to stay involved while Embiid and Maxey dominated the ball last season.
“Kelly, obviously, was a pretty big cog in the cutting piece of Joel’s double-teams last year,” said coach Nick Nurse, whose Sixers host the Indiana Pacers on Friday. “That’s when you are doubling [Embiid] and a guy [Oubre] is dunking on you. When you are coaching against that, and you run a double, you are like, ‘Ah, another dunk.’ That’s like more than two points.
“But listen, Kelly had one of his best games since he’s been here, in Chicago. He got spaced, and every time a shot went up, he was tipping it, keeping it alive or at least coming close to it.”
Oubre played his way into being the Sixers’ third option last season, a role held for years by Tobias Harris. This season, Paul George and Jared McCain are also ahead of Oubre in the Sixers’ offensive food chain.
“Obviously, my usage is down a little,” he said. “But it’s OK, because at the end of the day, man, I’m shooting the right ones. I’m happy with what I’m doing out there.
“But, you know, when the opportunity comes, man, I’m ready.”
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And with Embiid back after being sidelined with left knee soreness, his opportunity to shine is now. Maxey’s priority is to get the ball to the 2023 NBA MVP. And if Embiid is making shots, teams will run extra bodies at him, giving Oubre opportunities to cut to the basket.
“We need certain guys to play those roles,” Nurse said of playing off the two-man game. “We need them to play really hard, getting on the glass, playing really good on-ball defense, and going a lot of stretches without touching the ball sometimes.”