Kelly Oubre Jr.:
He’s “just getting comfortable” says Curry.
On a roller coaster night of wild runs that saw host Orlando lead by 17 points and the Warriors then go up by 13, Kelly Oubre Jr. was Golden State’s most consistent player in Friday’s 124120 loss.
That might have seemed like an outlandish observation about Oubre just weeks ago, but it’s almost expected these days.
“He’s just getting comfortable with how we do things and where his shots are coming from,” Warriors point guard Stephen Curry said. “There’s trust in how we move the ball and cut and the fact that he’s going to have a lot of looks. He can use his athleticism to his advantage. That comfort just comes over time. A lot was thrown at him from training camp to that first month and a half of the season. Just stick with it and keep working, and he’s done that. He shows up with his energy every night, and that allows you to take advantage of the reps and find some rhythm out there.”
In hopes of filling some of the huge hole left by Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson’s Achilles injury, Oubre was acquired from Oklahoma City in the offseason for a 2021 firstround pick (top 20 protected) and a 2021 secondround pick.
But in a contract year, and while playing for his third team in three seasons, Oubre got off to a historically bad start with Golden State. He missed his first 18 shots from 3point range and averaged just 12 points on 23.1% 3point shooting in the season’s first 21 games.
In the eight games prior to Friday, however, the exuberant wing rewarded head coach Steve Kerr’s commitment to him as a starter, averaging 20.1 points and shooting 47.1% from 3point range in that span.
He bumped those numbers higher against the Magic, scoring 26 points on 10of18 shooting, with seven rebounds and four steals.
Finally getting shots to fall certainly has helped Oubre, but his stretch of torrid play hasn’t been limited to shooting. He’s showing a good balance, mixing in racing into transition and darting to the rim in halfcourt sets.
He appears to be adjusting to playing with the generationally unique Curry and is more consistently making the right plays in the Warriors’ readandreact system.
“Kelly Oubre was fantastic,” head coach Steve Kerr said. “He is playing his best basketball of the season, just the way he has really comfortably grown with the offense. He’s moving the ball well, he’s taking good, open shots, and he’s defending and rebounding.”
The Warriors were outscored 120 on fast breaks in the first half and went into the locker room trailing 6451. Oubre became a oneman fast break in the third quarter, leading a 14point swing to give the Warriors their first lead.
With 1:33 remaining in the third quarter, Oubre sneaked out in transition for a swooping layup that made it 8988. The play drew a hair flip — one of Oubre’s many postplay celebrations — from a guy with plenty of reasons to celebrate recently.