The redesign In their season opening against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night, the Philadelphia 76ers got off to a furious start. Tyrese Maxey and Damian Lillard, the Sixers’ starting guards, engaged in a high-scoring shootout, while Kelly Oubre Jr., a recently signed veteran, gave the team a noteworthy showing as well.
After having a stellar season with the Charlotte Hornets, Oubre has shown the NBA that he is a reliable source of points. Even though Oubre’s effectiveness in Charlotte was called into doubt during the 2022–2023 NBA season—he made only 32 percent of his threes and 43 percent of his attempts overall—he was still one of the 50 players to average above 20, winning over Joel Embiid and other new teammates.
On Thursday, the Sixers got the complete scoring package from Oubre and more in his regular-season debut. Right out of the gate, Oubre entered the matchup and drilled multiple threes. In seven minutes, he produced ten points. While he went quiet in the second quarter, knocking down one more three, Oubre’s performance wasn’t a tale of two different halves. In the third quarter, the veteran picked up right where he left off, knocking down two of his four shots for six points in less than six minutes.
Then, in the fourth quarter, Oubre capped off his night with some clutch shooting, getting the hot-hand treatment by taking the third-most shots while being the only Sixer to see the court for the entire final quarter
By the end of the night, Oubre finished off his Sixers debut with an achievement that hasn’t been surpassed since 2009. With a 27-point scoring performance in the one-point loss against Milwaukee, Oubre scored the most points by a 76ers reserve in the team’s season opener, surpassing Marreese Speights, who collected 26 points off the bench in a 14-point loss against the Orlando Magic.
The most encouraging sign about Oubre’s high-scoring night was the consistency he brought to the table. Taking 11 shots from the field, Oubre missed just two of his attempts, one in the paint and a corner three. The rest of his shots, which included five from beyond the arc, were successful.
Before Oubre is hailed as the 76ers’ best offseason acquisition, there is still a lot of the season still to play. It would be challenging to regard 27-year-old Oubre as both a steal for Philadelphia and a Sixth Man of the Year contender if he can maintain this level of play throughout the season.
