The Philadelphia 76ers came up short once again in the 2023 NBA Playoffs. For the third straight season they lost in the Eastern Conference semifinals, which has led to the organization making some major changes.
Head coach Doc Rivers was fired and replaced by Nick Nurse, who was fired earlier this offseason by the Toronto Raptors. There is also a chance that reigning MVP Joel Embiid has some new running mates as James Harden has revealed his desire to be traded, again.
Even if the 76ers and Harden can smooth out the issues that they have, this is a team that could use a little bit of a shakeup to their rotation. Something isn’t clicking that leads to them continually being eliminated in the postseason earlier than they believe that they should be.
The coaching change will bring about some adjustments, but upgrading the roster needs to also occur. One suggested move is adding to their wing rotation behind Tobias Harris and P.J. Tucker. A player that they could target, in the opinion of Adam Aaronson of The Rights To Ricky Sanchez, is Kelly Oubre Jr.
“A more traditional wing option would be Kelly Oubre Jr., whose main calling card at this juncture is his high-volume three-point shooting,” Aaronson wrote. “Oubre Jr. has the quick trigger, frame and athleticism of a prototypical 3-and-D wing.”
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It is somewhat surprising that Oubre is still available in free agency as he is coming off a career-high 20.3 points per game season. But, there are some concerns about his overall profile. While scoring 20+ points per game in any capacity is nothing to sneeze at, there are some worries.
Oubre was an inefficient shooter and he has been inconsistent as a 3-point shooter. He is a career 33 percent shooter from beyond the arc with a career-high of 35.2 percent during the 2019-20 season with the Phoenix Suns.
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Could playing alongside better talent improve his efficiency? It is certainly possible, as there wouldn’t be nearly as much attention on him playing for the 76ers as there was playing for the Hornets. In the opinion of Aaronson, Oubre’s profile is one that 76ers general manager Daryl Morey would normally be drawn to.
“I bring Oubre Jr. up because he has the kind of physical tools and shot chart that generally intrigue teams these days, particularly Morey, who has coveted that sort of archetype time and time again during his career, and he is someone who at least at some point has been good enough to warrant more than a minimum contract,” Aaronson wrote. “He averaged over 20 points per game last season, a career-high, and that is worth something in theory, even for someone whose true shooting percentage was well below the league average.”
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As the NBA offseason moves along, Oubre to the City of Brotherly Love is something to certainly keep an eye on. Free agent money has quickly soaked up around the league and there is a chance that Oubre will have to settle for a veteran’s minimum for the upcoming season.
If that is the route he has to take, the 76ers are an excellent landing spot for him. There is no better way for a player to rehab their value than playing for a contending team and potentially helping them win games.
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