Kelly Oubre: Should Wizards Fans Be Excited About Him?

Lately, John Wall of the Washington Wizards has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons. He hasn’t said anything too wild, or anything that will get him in too much trouble, so don’t panic if you haven’t heard it yet. But he had this to say about the current status of the CBA, speaking to J. Michael of Comcast Sportsnet Washington:

"“I guess they came in at the right time. That new CBA kicked in and they’re good now. Reggie Jackson gets five years, $80 million. I’m getting the same as Reggie Jackson.”"

That might get him in trouble with Reggie Jackson, but other then that, it’s a pretty harmless quote.

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This quote has been blown up way past what it should have been, and really overshadowed some important things Wall said about the Wizards’ youngest player, Kelly Oubre. Oubre has been making a splash and heavily examined throughout NBA Summer League. Wall is no exception to being one of the people using the microscope to see what the new young player has to offer.

As an article by Jorge Castillo from the Washington Post notes, Wall was present at the Wizards’ recent Summer League game.

"“Well, that’s what you need…These young guys are coming in more confident now”"

Of course, it does help that the game Wall was at was the first win for the Wizards. Overall, he was impressed with his first look at Oubre, but really took a liking to something we’ve all noticed: his confidence.

Wall even alluded to the fact that Oubre is similar to Otto Porter, and could even be better in some aspects.

"“I think he’s going to be great for us…think he’s somebody like Otto but probably more athletic and able to move. Otto is more methodical, moving at his own pace.”"

So, Wall is obviously impressed with what he’s seen from Oubre, and can appreciate his confidence. Should we, as fans, be just as impressed with what he’s offered so far? Should we bite on this confidence, or should we be skeptical until we get some real game statistics?

His first two Summer League games were statistically pretty good, but he failed to show us things such as his jump shot. His confidence in his physicality was clear, however, as he was able to make things difficult inside for some larger matchups.

His third game wasn’t as great, as he only finished with 11 points after averaging 19 in the first two games, and only shot 4-for-11. We have to remember that Summer League doesn’t always give us the perfect look at players, especially the ones expected to make the roster in the later games. They don’t always get the minutes (although Oubre got 30 in game three) or plays drawn up for them that give them the opportunity to score.

Overall, I have been happy with my first impressions from Oubre. I don’t think I would go so far as to say “impressed” yet, and I’m not sure other Wizards fans have or should yet either. That’s not to say Oubre can’t impress, I just feel he needs more time to show us everything he has to offer.

The depth of his skills is (hopefully) deeper than just three Summer League games. And if Randy Wittman‘s past with rookies has shown us anything, we know that Oubre will be worked and developed for quite a while, and made even better than he is now before he gets significant playing time.

Due to this, I would say optimism towards the future and an open mind with Oubre is the correct attitude, and not necessarily excitement yet. We can appreciate things he offers such as his confidence, but let’s wait and see how his career plays out.

Next: Wizards Are On The Verge Of Contending For A Title

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Should Wizards Fans Be Excited About Kelly Oubre?

By Josh Wilson | Jul 16, 2015

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