Kelly Oubre Jr., the former 15th pick of the 2015 NBA Draft, has yet to have significant opportunities to prove himself with the Washington Wizards.
As the Washington Wizards‘ conference finals hopes were flushed away in a disappointing loss, Kelly Oubre Jr. hardly played a significant role in the series.
In fact, it did not go unnoticed. According to Chris Miller of CSN, John Wall was vocal and supported his teammate after the Game 7 loss.
"“I think Kelly Oubre could’ve played a little bit more. But coach [Scott Brooks] makes the decision, and we stick behind him 100 percent.”"
Over the course of 142 games during Kelly Oubre Jr.’s first two seasons, he has received praise and criticism alike. With the Wizards needing more production from their bench, Kelly Oubre Jr. needs to find a way to prove his true value entering his third season at just 21 years old.
A closer look
Averaging 5.2 points per game in two seasons, you can hardly say Oubre Jr. is a legitimate offensive threat. However, it should be said that off the bench in his second season, his scoring numbers were indeed an improvement over his rookie year.
The same can be said in regard to his performance during the Wizards’ run in the playoffs. During the regular season, Oubre was relatively efficient in his shot selection, draining 42.7 percent of his looks from the field. While he shot a nearly identical 42.6 percent throughout the postseason, it would not be enough.
Kelly Oubre Jr. was ejected from Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals following his scrum on the court with Kelly Olynyk. As a result, he received a one-game suspension and returned for Game 5.
Shaky results as a 15th overall pick
Despite finding a way to score over 10 points a handful of times throughout the series, his performance was overshadowed by his shortsighted outburst. To be clear, Kelly Oubre Jr. has so far played average basketball at best.
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The Washington Wizards are certainly a team capable of making a deep run again next season. Kelly Oubre Jr. may find more opportunities with the possibility of losing Bojan Bogdanovic and Brandon Jennings to free agency this summer.
Compared to Bojan Bogdanovic, who received All-Rookie honors for the 2014-15 season, his stellar play has cast a shadow over Oubre. He performed well for only 26 games with the Wizards and averaged 13.7 points per game for the season.
Only playing roughly three minutes more on average compared to Oubre, Bogdanovic simply produces more. He scored double on average compared to Kelly Oubre and nailed 16 three-pointers through the playoffs to Oubre’s 11.
Oubre’s contributions on defense are a complementary upside. He has proven capable of holding his own, but the Wizards are in need of a sharp shooting offensive threat as well.
This is not to say that he is a bust as a player; he should improve given the appropriate time. There is simply no rush to push Kelly Oubre Jr. out of Washington in these circumstances or move on from him. He has a bright future and still two years remaining on his rookie contract
Moving forward
If the Wizards are up to the task of continue grooming him into a solid all-around forward, it may be just be a matter of time. For a team that was only one victory away from facing LeBron James, it’s clear the Wizards are a legitimate threat in the Eastern Conference.
Next: 2017 NBA Mock Draft: Post-Lottery edition
Only time can tell for what is in store for Kelly Oubre Jr.’s future, he has plenty of potential to grow but will need more opportunities on the court.