Despite being a player who would undoubtedly bring energy and impressive perimeter defending on any given night, Kelly Oubre Jr. was a player that the Philadelphia 76ers fan base was happy to hound out of the building during the offseason. However, with a less prominent role in the offense, the dynamic forward has established himself as a dependable option from deep -- something that no 76ers spectator would have thought possible at the turn of the year.
Oubre Jr. fell victim to his own reliability throughout the 2024-25 NBA season. As his teammates continued to fall like dominoes due to a ridiculous number of injuries, the 29-year-old refused to take a seat on the sidelines, even though a Philadelphia tanking mission was in full effect.
While a certain level of gratitude should be aimed in the direction of the former Charlotte Hornets wing, his offensive ability left a lot to be desired, as he was unfortunately shoehorned as the Sixers' primary ball handler for large portions of the season. Finishing the year with a three-point percentage of 29.3% is enough to explain the struggles that both the player and the supporters had to endure.
Oubre Jr. transforms his ability to score from deep
After biting back at both the media and 76ers fans in the offseason for the criticism he received due to his shooting antics, Oubre has taken it upon himself to silence his doubters with a string of fine performances from deep.
So far this season, the Kansas graduate is shooting a career-high 40.7% from three-point range, while registering six attempts per game from outside the perimeter. Yes, Philadelphia may have only completed nine of its regular-season fixtures, so there is an opportunity for this efficiency to take a spectacular nosedive. Still, the nature of this improvement has to be admired.
This upturn in effectiveness from deep could be attributed to several factors. Oubre Jr. may have simply realised that in the modern-day era of the NBA, if he wants to be a participant in a successful assault on the championship, he is going to have to bury open threes when franchise stars such as Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid kick the ball out to him.
A second argument could lie at the level of responsibility that lies at his door for the offense. Oubre was never acquired to be a floor general, nor was he brought in to swing the momentum in the 76ers' favour when the opponent has a stranglehold on proceedings. Nevertheless, with injuries to nearly the entire roster, this is exactly how his campaign panned out.
The levels of development in Kelly Oubre's three-point shooting have been a major factor in the improved dynamism and versatility of the Philadelphia 76ers' offensive game plan. It cannot be denied that if he continues to record these numbers, while Maxey, Embiid, and VJ Edgecombe continue to dominate, the Sixers will be a formidable foe for any opponent.