The Philadelphia 76ers should look to retain this forward in free agency this offseason.
In a recent Bleacher Report article outlining dream free agent targets for every NBA team, Kelly Oubre Jr. was listed as the ideal signing for the Philadelphia 76ers.
There is no real question about whether or not Oubre fits, but there are questions about whether he is exactly what the 76ers need.
The Sixers' biggest issue hasn't been a lack of star power. Joel Embiid has been great when he has been on the court, Tyrese Maxey has been one of the best offensive players in the league, and V.J. Edgecombe is off to a great start in his young career.
Where the 76ers struggle is with consistency from their wings. Every team with contending ambitions needs players who play with energy and athleticism without disrupting the offense.
This is where Kelly Oubre comes in.
Oubre is a Swiss Army knife. Philly has used him as a shooting guard, small forward, and even power forward. In these positions, Oubre has done the same things: play pesky defense, attack the rim, and space the floor well. Oubre does not need the ball for long stretches of time to make his impact; in theory, these skills make him a fantastic glue guy that can do all of the dirty work for a team.
However, there are still some flaws.
Oubre has always been a streaky shooter. Things have been going well for him from beyond the arc this season, as the forward boasts a 36.1% shooting percentage on five attempts a night, but this has been a bit of an outlier as Oubre is a career 32.7% three-point shooter for his career. Furthermore, he's not a natural playmaker and can be prone to tunnel vision at times, a trait that can stall the offense and keep the ball out of the hands of the star players.
For Oubre to work in Philadelphia, he must have a clearly defined role as a glue guy. He is at his best attacking closeouts, running the floor, and playing within an offense. When Oubre does more than that, his weaknesses begin to show.
There's no doubting that Oubre can help the Sixers and bring consistency and energy to their wing position. But he is not a solution; he's a complementary piece that can raise the ceiling of a contending team.
Bleacher Report is right to identify Oubre as a logical free agent target. Whether he becomes the right move will depend on how Philly utilizes his strengths and minimizes his weaknesses.
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Wes Dixon is a contributing writer to 76ersRoundtable. He can be reached at dixonwesley286@gmail.com.