What Does Kelly Oubre Jr. Bring to Philadelphia 76ers?

The Philadelphia 76ers added a player to their bolster their bench, what does he bring to the team?

The offseason has been less than kind to the Philadelphia 76ers, as the organization has seen several of their key bench players leave, as Shake Milton, Georges Niang, and Jalen McDaniels have departed for free agency.

Despite Milton's tenure on the team, Niang could arguably have been their biggest departure.

In losing Niang, apart from being a wing player, the 76ers lost one of their most lethal shooters from beyond the three-point line, shooting from downtown with 40 percent accuracy.

His impact in clutch time, when the point difference is five points or less, was something else, as the former Iowa-state sharpshooter shot 56 percent from three-point land, only trailing veteran P.J. Tucker in this metric.

By losing this within the opening day of free agency, Daryl Morey and Philadelphia's front office had their hands filled trying to find a replacement, culminating in the signing of former first-round pick Kelly Oubre Jr.

Oubre's previous season with the Charlotte Hornets could be a preview of what Sixer fans can expect from the 27-year-old, as he averaged 20 points and five rebounds.

One important note about these stats is that they were recorded throughout Oubre's 48 appearances, in which he started 40 games. 

Imaging that Oubre won't be featuring consistently in the Sixers' starting lineup, it may be better to look at his first season in Charlotte, where he appeared in 76 games, making three starts and averaging 15 points per game with four rebounds.

Going beyond the initial stats is important to see how Oubre is a worthy successor to Niang's spot on the bench. The former Kansas wing takes a chunk of his shots from the perimeter while finding more play on the inside, which is unlike what Niang was used to, providing him with a more diverse playstyle on the offensive end.

Kelly Oubre Shooting Chart / Cleaning The Glass

Credit: Cleaning The Glass

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Georges Niang Shooting Chart / Cleaning The Glass

Credit: Cleaning The Glass

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While Oubre fails to shoot the three with the accuracy that Niang made it with, he makes up for it in other metrics, such as his rebounding ability.

In the 2022-23 season, the Nevada native placed in the top 74 percentile or above for offensive rebounding and defensive rebounding percentages, according to Cleaning The Glass.

These were both areas in which Niang struggled, despite his 6'8" stature, which could be pinned on his positioning on the court during the defensive segments.

Apart from rebounding on both sides of the court, Oubre's habit of picking the opposition's pockets proved to be a successful part of his game last season, placing in the 81 percentile for steal percentage, making 68 rips.

After looking at it, it's clear that Daryl Morey and Philadelphia's front office did their research on Oubre, showing that he isn't going to fill Niang's shoes exactly rather bringing a more complete game to the Sixers.