Nick Nurse Praises Kelly Oubre for Defense on Pistons' Cade Cunningham

Sixers coached pleased by defensive effort on former No. 1 pick

Heading into their matchup with the Detroit Pistons Friday, the Philadelphia 76ers had one key name circled on their defensive game plan. That being former No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham. 

After missing almost all of last season due to injury, Cunningham has been off to a hot start to the season. He's been the main focal point of the Piston's offense, averaging nearly 24 points and seven assists a game. 

Cunningham came out of the gates strong on Friday, scoring eight points on 4-for-7 shooting. However, he didn't end up doing much after that. Following the first quarter, the young guard only made four of his 11 shot attempts. Cunningham finished the game with a box score of 21 points, four rebounds, and seven assists. 

Following the win, Sixers coach Nick Nurse was asked about the adjustments made on Cunningham. He went on to praise Kelly Oubre Jr. and others for their hard work on that end of the floor. 

"I thought Kelly did a nice job on him. Nic [Batum] did a nice job, [De'Anthony] Melt[on]. All three of those guys went in there and went to work," Nurse said. "Those guys work rate and effort they gave was really helpful." 

Team defense is something Nurse has brought up constantly during this winning streak. He brought it up after the win against the Boston Celtics Wednesday, as the group did a good job containing Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Despite not having a go-to lockdown defender on the perimeter, this group continues to get the job done with their abundance of size and length. 

Oubre's name being mentioned is something that is noteworthy. Since the James Harden trade, the veteran forward has been promoted to the starting lineup. Nurse said it would be a short-term move while he gets acclimated with his new players. Oubre has shown he's capable of putting up big scoring numbers. However, if he can be impactful with his defense as well, it might lead to him sticking with the starting unit for the foreseeable future.