Washington Wizards: Patience Is Key For Kelly Oubre Jr.
The Washington Wizards have played three preseason games thus far in early October. Much of the fans’ attention in preseason has been on their team’s new draft picks and whether or not it seems like they can contribute for the upcoming season. It’s been no different for the fan base in D.C. All eyes have been on Kelly Oubre Jr. to determine if he can sneak in some minutes with an extremely deep roster at the wing position.
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So far, Oubre Jr. hasn’t exactly given head coach Randy Wittman and the coaching staff a reason to make him a part of the rotation for the start of the season, but Oubre Jr. couldn’t find himself in a better situation. With Jared Dudley and Alan Anderson out nursing injuries, Oubre Jr. can take advantage of the extra reps in practice to get him up to speed with the NBA game.
However. once the two veterans are cleared to play, expect the 19-year-old rookie to take a backseat minutes-wise and be prepared for when his number is called.
Coming into the draft, the Kansas product was known for his potential and upside along with the ability to score. As many NBA fans have witnessed, just because a player in college can score at an alarming rate, doesn’t mean it is an immediate carry over into the league.
Wizards fans were able to see a preview of Oubre Jr. during Summer League play as he lead he team, averaging 16.8 points per game. Even though he struggled shooting from beyond the arc, Oubre Jr. remained confident and still does heading into his rookie campaign, “I can shoot. I could shoot in summer league too. I just been working on it in the gym and it’s falling now in training camp so that’s a plus,” he told the media after day two of training camp.
Heading into the first preseason game, Oubre Jr. was ruled out due to a sprained ankle suffered during practice. He had to wait to make his NBA debut against the New York Knicks, where he would struggle finding the bottom of the net as he finished 0-for-7 from the field. First game jitters are expected with every rookie, so fans weren’t concerned yet.
In his second preseason game against Bauru, Oubre Jr. was able to score his first basket as an NBA player on a dunk. He went 3-of-6 from the charity stripe to finish with five points. Now that he got his feet wet, there is hope he will improve over the remaining four preseason games, starting next with a match up against Philadelphia.
Looking forward, watching and playing against players such as Otto Porter Jr., Dudley, and Anderson each day is going to do wonders for the rookie’s game now and for the future.
Oubre Jr. hasn’t wowed anyone as of yet, but Wizards fans should not panic. It’s only three games into the unofficial NBA year and he is still learning countless things each day at work. One thing he has proven is that he knows how to address the media and show that he has confidence in his game. You don’t see that too often with 19-year-olds. He is accepting of the “little brother” role of the team since he is the youngest.
So, let’s be patient and allow this young man to grow into a potential star for the nation’s capital. Don’t panic, and as Oubre Jr. captions every Instagram picture, “#Shhh.”
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