Washington Wizards: Life without John Wall, Part 2

Kelly Oubre Jr. needs to become more of a sixth man

The Washington Wizards can still make a solid run in the NBA Playoffs this season, but it all comes with preparation. While many believe Kelly Oubre Jr. should be a starter, the energy and offense he’s brought off the bench this season is hard to trade.

As a starter, Oubre is averaging 10.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game this season. As a reserve, he’s averaging 12.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. Basically, what I’m getting at is whether he’s a starter or a reserve, Oubre is essentially the same player.

The Wizards need to focus on getting Oubre to embrace the sixth man role more. Their bench hasn’t improved much overall with the additions of Jodie Meeks, Tim Frazier and Mike Scott. That can change by getting Oubre more involved, but his minutes must increase first. He’s currently averaging 27.2 minutes per game. With Wall out, he should get at least 30 minutes per game.

Giving Oubre extended minutes could produce mixed results in the beginning, but once he gets used to a bigger role, his room for development should expand. He’s already set a new career-high in points this season (26) against the Pistons. There’s room for more of that and then some with Wall out for an extended amount of time.