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Philadelphia 76ers Downgrade Starter vs Sacramento Kings

The Philadelphia 76ers have downgraded Kelly Oubre against the Sacramento Kings.

Justin Grasso

Dec 28, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz forward Brice Sensabaugh (28) goes to the basket between Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) and guard Kelly Oubre Jr. (9) during the fourth quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images
Dec 28, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz forward Brice Sensabaugh (28) goes to the basket between Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) and guard Kelly Oubre Jr. (9) during the fourth quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images / Rob Gray-Imagn Images
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Kelly Oubre has been one of the Philadelphia 76ers’ most reliable players in terms of availability this season. Through the Sixers’ first 30 games, Oubre hasn’t missed a matchup.

Heading into the Wednesday night battle between the Sixers and the Sacramento Kings, Oubre has been downgraded on the injury report.

According to the official NBA injury report, the veteran forward is questionable to play. He is currently dealing with a left hand sprain. Considering the timing of the decision to add Oubre to the injury report, he could end up being a game-time decision in Sacramento.

Over the offseason, Oubre hit the free agency market for a short period of time. Within the first 24 hours of seeing his one-year deal with the Sixers officially expire, Oubre wasted no time returning.

The veteran forward inked a short-term, multi-year deal to return to the Sixers. As expected, Oubre started the year off with an important role on the team. He remains a full-time starter for the team, only coming off the bench for just three matchups back in November.

This year, Oubre is averaging 32 minutes on the court. He’s posting averages of 13 points, six rebounds, two assists, one steal, and nearly one block per game.

From the field, Oubre has knocked down 46 percent of his shots. He’s been struggling from beyond the arc, averaging just 29 percent on roughly four shots per game.

Availability is important for a Sixers team that has battled with plenty of setbacks this season. Although Oubre has been reliable on that front, he’s one of the latest players to deal with a setback.

Joining Oubre on the injury report are Andre Drummond, Eric Gordon, and Kyle Lowry, who are all questionable. Joel Embiid, KJ Martin, and Jared McCain have already been ruled out.

The Sixers and the Kings are set to begin at 10 PM ET.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA

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