Kelly Oubre Jr. ‘had to kill my ego’ to begin new opportunity with Sixers

Kelly Oubre Jr. retreated to his Charlotte home during the offseason. He needed a physical and mental break from basketball, other than his daily cardio workouts. He wanted to spend time with his wife and two young children. And he made a point to stay off social media, or any outlet “that could potentially raise my heart rate.”

Oubre’s previous free-agency stints had caused him “so much anxiety,” he told The Inquirer last week. Yet he acknowledged the more reclusive approach caused communication lapses with his previous representation, and with the 76ers’ brass attempting to get in contact.

That also meant Oubre was without a new contract when the calendar flipped to September, even after scoring a career-high 20.3 points per game last season with the Hornets. Still available, however? A veteran’s minimum deal with a Sixers team in need of wing depth and athleticism.

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With Oubre now on a roster featuring back-to-back scoring leader Joel Embiid, his expected role is as a high-energy defender who is capable of providing complementary offensive punch. That potential was on display during Wednesday’s preseason loss to the Boston Celtics played without Embiid and James Harden, when Oubre scored 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting and made his first four three-point attempts.

“It’s something that I think is bigger than me,” Oubre said of his opportunity with the Sixers. “I’ve had to kill my ego over these past couple years and really just find who I am deep down inside. This is what God brought me here to do, and I’m happy to be here.”

Oubre’s deep-shot makes Wednesday came after securing a long one-handed pass from Danny Green to one corner, and while falling to the floor after firing from the opposite one. He also hit an and-one pull-up jumper late in the second quarter, and threw down an alley-oop dunk in the third period.

The 27-year-old Oubre has always boasted enticing physical tools — plus a flashy playing style and personality — but has not yet contributed to a contender following his stints with the Washington Wizards, Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, and Hornets.

He has not appeared in the playoffs since 2017 and 2018 with the Wizards, his second and third NBA seasons. He was part of the return package in the Chris Paul blockbuster trade to Phoenix just before the start of the 2020-21 season, which immediately propelled the Suns to the NBA Finals. Then, Oubre was on a Warriors roster that lost in the 2021 play-in tournament, before winning the championship the following season. The Hornets briefly looked like an up-and-coming team after drafting LaMelo Ball, but then faded into irrelevancy.

“I’ve come from teams where they have no hope,” Oubre said at media day. “Like zero hope within the whole city. This [in Philly] is not that at all. So I appreciate this fan base for being so hard on the team and wanting to see greatness, because they deserve it and this organization gives the players the platform to do so with everything around us.”

Oubre’s scoring numbers last season were more due to high volume (17.1 attempts per game) than efficiency (49.7 effective field-goal percentage), and he has never averaged more than 1.5 assists per game in his eight-year career. Perhaps that’s why he recently raised outside eyebrows when, while sporting sunglasses following a Sixers training-camp practice in Fort Collins, Colo., he said, “I don’t see myself fitting in. I see myself standing out” when asked about his role on his new team.

Oubre wanted to clarify those comments following Wednesday’s shootaround, saying he is “for sure” content with his scoring average dipping on this particular roster. He anticipates a chunk of his offensive chances to come from running the floor in transition — an emphasis of new coach Nick Nurse — though Wednesday illustrated Oubre’s streaky outside shooting.

“This is a team that has a lot of pieces,” Oubre said. “You have guys who can give 20-30 [points] any given night. I’m one of them, and I know that. It will sting not being able to really flourish on both sides of the floor. But, at the end of the day, I know that I can bring a bigger piece of myself to this team and help this team win and go further than me scoring 20 points every game.

“[This is] not the time for that. Godspeed, if things work out well, I could have a bigger role. But at the end of the day, I’m going to just take what I’m given and excel at that.”

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Instead, Oubre wants to bring the “bread and butter” of defense back to the center of his repertoire. He has been tasked throughout his career to use his long and rangy frame to guard the opposing team’s best players. While describing Oubre’s activity on that end following Wednesday’s game, new teammate Tyrese Maxey said, “Whew, it’s hard to explain.”

“When you’re out there, he’s just flying around,” Maxey said of Oubre. “He’s just making plays, getting his hands up and [getting] deflections and guarding the ball. It’s good to have him on our side.”

That is why Nurse said the Sixers first talked about pursuing Oubre shortly after free agency began in early July. As the process lingered, Oubre fired agent Torrel Harris (the father and agent of Sixers forward Tobias Harris) but took responsibility for his “subpar” communication because “I needed to figure myself out. I needed to be whole, so that I could bring my all.”

Still, Oubre watched as teams around the league used up their salary cap space. He eventually touched base with Drew Hanlen — his personal trainer who also has been one of Embiid’s longtime confidants — who believed a deal with the Sixers remained on the table. It was “probably the last one,” Oubre acknowledged. But he appreciated feeling wanted by the Sixers, noting the similarities to when Kansas coach Bill Self was the first to recruit him as a high school prospect.

“I didn’t care about the money,” Oubre said. “I know what I’m worth and I know what I deserve. But if I have to protect my peace and my soul over the money, I’m going to do that any day of the week. … I had to settle in and be like, listen, I put myself in this position. I have to do something to go to work next year and to put on a jersey.”

That contract did not come with any playing-time guarantees, Nurse and Oubre said. He is competing at that spot with Danuel House Jr. and Green, who both have more experience with the Sixers’ current core. Oubre said he has purposefully held a quiet demeanor while navigating his new locker-room surroundings, but has been taking note of how teammates such as Maxey, Harris, and De’Anthony Melton (whom he played with in Phoenix) operate on and off the floor.

And while seated courtside at the Wells Fargo Center following Wednesday’s shootaround, Oubre said he was still trying to figure out his “flow” within the Sixers’ offense. He clearly discovered something against the Celtics. He credited a visiting Hanlen for recognizing that Oubre’s shoulders were not squared on his shot release, and for reminding him to take the easy attempts.

That performance was a reminder that Oubre can still score in bursts. Yet he recognizes he is now in a different situation, which still comes with an array of unknowns and likely will not require him to score 20 points per game.

Following his summer reset, however, Oubre’s path to success in Philly likely hinges on his willingness to abide by one of his own mantras — to be water.

“Whatever the team needs from me, that’s what I’ll do,” Oubre said. “… I really don’t know what I’m going be asked [to do]. But at the end of the day, I know who I am and what I’ve been through, and I can do anything that I’m asked.”