PHILADELPHIA — As the Philadelphia 76ers move forward in the wake of Joel Embiid’s injury, they need other players to replace his production.
That means guys such as Kelly Oubre Jr. have to give more on both ends of the floor. In Saturday’s 136-121 loss to the Brooklyn Nets, Oubre scored 16 points, but shot only 3-for-14.
Oubre’s role has been in flux all season. In some stretches, he starts. In others, he comes off the bench. He is still adjusting to everything being thrown at him in an ever-changing role.
“To be honest with you, man, I know I have to do a little bit of everything, which I’m happy with doing,” Oubre told Sixers Wire. “It’s not streamlined, but I really don’t know — I know I can score the ball. I know I can get stops on defense.”
Oubre can absolutely score and is a terrific defender, but he didn’t do much of either in the loss to the Nets. He had a tough time with his 1-on-1 defense, and he knows he has to be better.
“I have to be better at the defensive end and I have to be better on the offensive end so it’s kinda like in the middle of being better at every single thing and focusing on a couple things, but at the end of the day, man, everybody needs to step up,” he continued. “I’m one of those people.”
The Sixers normally turn to Embiid to lead the way. With the big fella out for a bit, somebody has to give Philadelphia a big boost. Oubre said he’s ready for the opportunity.
“It’s not a lot because I love the pressure, and I just love the adjustment of everything,” he continued. “I try to be water throughout it all. If I’m not being communicated of what’s expected of me, then obviously, I don’t have a pinpoint notice, right? Like Jo, come out here and get 10 rebounds, 15 rebounds and 30 points. We win the game. Right?”
Oubre would like to settle into a role and figure out what he can do to help the Sixers win. Coach Nick Nurse is going to continue to count on him to help this team stay afloat without the reigning league MVP.
“For me, it’s like what do I need to do?” Oubre said. “But at the end of the day, I relish in that and figuring out. The art of basketball, everything changes, so I have to be ready to adapt to whatever situation and role that I have to play.”
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