Somewhere, Jrue Holiday is probably nodding in agreement.
Each one, teach one.
On Thursday, Kelly Oubre met with reporters in San Francisco and, as usual, fielded some questions.
For Warriors fans who aren’t too familiar with the 15th overall pick from the 2015 NBA Draft, Oubre first earned rotation minutes with the Washington Wizards — the team that drafted him — as a result of his pesky on-ball defense.
Since then, he’s slowly-but-surely blossomed into an offensive weapon, but he still hangs his hat on his defense. His length and lateral quickness have made him especially effective at guarding opposing point guards, and it’s something that’s been a constant in each of his two career stops prior to landing with the Warriors.
In San Francisco, he plans on continuing his defensive pursuits, saying as much on Thursday.
“I love it, it’s fun for me,” Oubre said to reporters when asked how much he enjoys guarding opposing point guards.
“I’m 6-foot-7, 7-foot-2 wingspan, a lot of opposing point guards are definitely smaller than me. It’s just fun being able to keep up with the little fast guys and kinda make them annoyed.”
Knowing that he has to pace himself, though, Oubre plans on pitch-counting himself on the defensive end. Without Klay Thompson, after all, Steve Kerr will certainly need him to score some points.
Often, when players are asked which of their peers they’ve drawn inspiration from, their competitive nature doesn’t allow them to give that kind of credit. Perhaps because Oubre is 25 years old, though, he decided to give a nod to two of his predecessors: the Milwaukee Bucks’ Jrue Holiday and the Miami Heat’s Avery Bradley. Oubre mentioned watching Bradley “throughout his career,” which passively (and harmlessly) points out that the 30-year-old guard is a bit longer in the tooth than Oubre himself.
Holiday, who Oubre gave the most credit, is also 30 years old. Oubre is 25.
“One person that I always give credit to is Jrue Holiday,” Oubre said when asked to identify defenders from whom he draws inspiration.
“He is a great defender because he knows where to put his body in spots so that he doesn’t waste movement. He knows how to get through screens, how to push you through [dribble hand-offs], things like that.”
Full Kelly Oubre soundbite on his defense. Mentions Jrue Holiday and Avery Bradley as on-ball hounds whose film/strategies he tracks. pic.twitter.com/y7PAcB1JEB
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) December 17, 2020
Oubre also paid major respect to Bradley.
“I’ve been able to really just watch him grow throughout his career. He’s definitely somebody I look at on the defensive end to be a great on-ball defender.”
Although most people think of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson raining three-point shots down on opposing defenses when they think of the Warriors’ success, before last season, they ranked among the top defensive teams in the NBA.
If they want to get back to that point, they’ll need commitment and buy-in from their important pieces.
It’s safe to say we now know where Oubre stands.
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