Why Can’t We Have Nice Things?

Every time something good happens, something more absurd and, at times, comical ends up following to erase any progress made.  While this is the sentiment most often felt around the Philadelphia 76ers, I also consider it an apt way of discussing one of their recent signings, Kelly Oubre Jr.  While I didn’t pay attention to the NBA Draft of 2015, the year he was drafted (I paid some attention in 2016 and dove fully in in 2017), I always thought that he had a lot of upside and could be a talented 2-way player due to his size, athleticism, and scoring mindset.  That said, it has reached the point where his career is starting to appear to be a comedy of errors.

When Oubre was drafted in 2015, he was selected by Atlanta, a competitive team who already had a core, but he would fit in, especially since it was clear it had a limited shelf life due to salary purposes (he likely would have been able to start by his second or third seasons due to need at the wing).  Instead, they traded him to Washington, who was a worse team, already had a rising young forward who was considered better in Otto Porter Jr., and was just worse run in general; they then also inexplicably decided they were competitive in his rookie year and traded for multiple guys who passed him in the depth chart, including Markieff Morris, while they ultimately missed the playoffs.  He got more playing time the next season and they appeared to be rising, but then the team dealt with injuries and never could repeat a 4^th place finish in 2016-17.  He made a solid role for himself and appeared to be one of the more consistent role players on a team full of inconsistencies, but then was reportedly going to be traded to Memphis.  The trade to Memphis was looking like it was going to be a good fit for him, but then was cancelled because Phoenix thought that they were going to receive Dillon Brooks instead of MarShon Brooks (for those who never knew this or forgot about it, I’m 100% serious that this actually happened).  It looked like he was going to stay in Washington instead, but he got traded to Phoenix instead because Washington thought Trevor Ariza was more of a winning piece (I never understood that deal; Washington wasn’t that good that season and Oubre was better at that point than Ariza), which sent him to a flailing Phoenix team.  Instead, he embraced the change, thrived, and bought in, appearing to find a home while playing a major role in their resurgence and success in the Bubble…until he was traded for Chris Paul to a tanking Oklahoma City.  On the plus side, they flipped him over to Golden State, who was ready to compete again after a difficult season full of injuries; the issue was that he was a horrible fit and rarely looked like the player I thought could help Golden State on either end of the floor (as an added bonus, there were significant talks during the season of a trade to New Orleans involving Lonzo Ball, which might have been better for Golden State, though I’m not sure the fit would have been good for Oubre).  After that season, he signed a deal for $25 million (across 2 seasons) with Charlotte, which seemed like it might be a cleaner fit, but they started struggling after due to LaMelo Ball’s injuries.  He put up high scoring numbers during his time, but dealt with some injuries and was incredibly inefficient, which resulted in him signing for a minimum contract with Philadelphia.  In his first 8 games, he appeared to be the perfect fit, as he was scoring more efficiently than ever and playing the best defense of his career, when reports came out that he was hit by a car and broke a rib.  There were tributes to him from the team, but then they stopped for a strange reason:  police said there was no evidence of an accident and rumors swirled that the injury was actually from a motorcycle, which was banned from his contract. 

While Philadelphia has been largely mute regarding this whole injury issue (as has been ESPN, who has been known to have some ties with Philadelphia), I question if he will be able to sign a contract for more than a minimum next year; I expect many teams will not be willing to take a risk on him with rumors of him using a motorcycle, which is often considered a dangerous non-basketball activity that could make a contract voided (this isn’t uncommon; some other types of activities include skiing and rodeo…right Madison Bumgardner?).  Fortunately, he is back on the court, and while he hasn’t been as elite as he was in his first 8 games, has been a solid contributor.  Despite some early inconsistencies and some defensive lapses, he has still been scoring more efficiently than ever and fits with this team perfectly on the offensive end.  While I was excited about how his athleticism and aggressiveness would pair with Tyrese Maxey at point, especially since I expected them to play faster after trading James Harden.  I hope he is able to continue playing well and play a role for Philadelphia as they push for a strong season.

While he might not have lived up to the potential that was there going into his career, but he’s still been a talented player who has had a more successful career than many players drafted in that range.  If nothing else, his aggressiveness has been entertaining, especially for people who love score-first players.