CAMDEN, N.J. — Amongst all of the major moves the Philadelphia 76ers were able to make, they were able to bring back Kelly Oubre Jr. on a deal. The veteran out of Kansas was a steal in the 2023-24 season on a veteran’s minimum and the Sixers could not let him walk.
He will return to a new-look Sixers team with the additions of Paul George, Caleb Martin, Eric Gordon, and Andre Drummond. One has to believe that the Sixers will be near the top of the contender list in the Eastern Conference due to the talent they have on the roster.
“All the pieces that you just named are amazing players,” Oubre described. “They go hard, they have experience, they’re exactly what we need. I’m really excited, man. Obviously, in training camp, you kind of have to go at each other to get used to each other. So I’m excited to go at it in training camp, man. Continue to just build off of what we did last year, obviously, and with the new pieces, I feel like we can take things a lot further. These are just guys who are just hard-nosed, rugged hard workers.”
Oubre will play a part in that as it was important to him to return to the Sixers despite other options on the table.
“Well, there were definitely options on the table — options that are closer to the ballpark of where I’m working toward getting to, but at the end of the day, man, it’s all about situations, it’s all about fit, it’s all about the people that I’m working with and I’m working for,” Oubre explained. “That just superseded everything else, because I didn’t want to necessarily move my family to a new place, go and meet new people, and have to do this all over again.”
Oubre had to battle through adversity in the 2023-24 season when he was struck by a vehicle in a hit-and-run in November which sidelined him for a few weeks with a rib injury. The Sixers stuck by him and supported him through that time. Those moments are not forgotten by players in this league.
Combine that with the playoff loss and there’s work to be done in Philadelphia.
“I want to–I don’t want to say finish what I started, because I don’t plan on being done,” Oubre added. “This is a step toward where I want to be at—signing a more long-term deal—but this was the place where I felt comfortable, and I felt safe and happy. I fell in love with the game of basketball here, so why would I go anywhere else?”
It also helps Oubre that he knows where he will be playing when the season begins. He was a very late pickup for Philadelphia in 2023 which contributed to a summer of stress for him. This time around, he knows he will be playing for the Sixers and will look to move them and himself forward.
“It’s been a night and day difference from last year, because obviously I went all summer without knowing what my future was going to hold,” he explained. “It was just a lot of stress and there’s a lot of things that come with that. This time around, I’m going to be able to build off of the things that I brought to the table last year. Obviously, get my percentages up and just kind of polish my game up, and do it within the confines of the organization with what we’re trying to build toward and what we need as a team.”
Training camp in October will be an important time for Philadelphia so everybody can get on the same page with schemes and such.
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