I was as excited as anyone to see the Golden State Warriors trade for Kelly Oubre in the last offseason — they would be getting a two-way talent who could score and defend, and while he wouldn’t exactly replace the injured Klay Thompson, he could help.
But months later, it’s become very clear Oubre isn’t a great fit for the Dubs. His scoring, steals per game, rebounds, field goal and free throw percentage numbers are all down, and — most importantly for Golden State — his three-point percentage has gone from 35.2 last season to a woeful 23.1. Yikes.
There was also this stat from Tuesday’s loss to the Celtics, and this is really not good:
In 26 minutes with Oubre on the floor, the Warriors were -25.
In 22 minutes with Oubre off the floor, the Warriors were +21.
— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) February 3, 2021
There’s also this, courtesy of CBS Sports:
Specifically, Oubre is killing Curry. It’s almost impossible, in fact, to be as bad next to Curry, a plus-minus God, as Oubre has been this season. Entering Tuesday, When Curry has shared the court with Oubre, the Warriors have been outscored by seven points per 100 possessions. Take Oubre out — which is to say leave Curry on the floor with any other four players — and Golden State is winning those minutes by 16.2 per 100 with an offensive rating of 128.7, which would by far rank as the best mark in the league.
This happens from time to time. Sometimes, talented players don’t mesh with the teams they join and it upsets the balance on the court.
But I’ve seen a solution to this issue. Lonzo Wire transcribed ESPN’s Brian Windhorst discussing on his podcast the rumors of a possible swap for the New Orleans Pelicans’ Lonzo Ball.
Yes, Ball hasn’t necessarily lived up to the hype as the No. 2 overall pick in 2017, and it’s obvious that he probably should be a backup point guard instead of a starter.
But think about the style of play Steve Kerr employs: ball movement and high basketball IQ. Ball has both of those. On the offensive end, Oubre isn’t cutting it as a facilitator, but I wonder if pairing Steph Curry with Ball would help (for the record, I was hoping the Warriors drafted Lonzo’s younger brother LaMelo instead of James Wiseman last year for that reason). Or, Kerr could have Ball run the second unit.
His shooting — 39.9 from the floor this year and 32.5 from distance — is always a problem, but what if the spacing he’d get on the floor helps him hit from beyond the arc more? And what if having a bigger defender at guard in Ball helps on the other end, too?
It’s a low-risk move for both teams. Both Oubre’s and Ball’s contracts expire after this season. Plus, the Pels get a chance to see if they can get the Oubre we saw blossom in Phoenix back.
It’s not perfect, believe me. But the Warriors have to do something, and getting back a still-young Ball might be a great idea.
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