76ers Kelly Oubre Pulls off Rare Bench Scoring Feat
Weeks before the season began, the Philadelphia 76ers decided to take a flier on Kelly Oubre Jr. in free agency. From the moment he stepped on the floor, he showed the potential to be one of the biggest steals of last offseason.
Oubre had a hot start to the year, but things got derailed after he was involved in a motor vehicle accident that resulted in broken ribs. However, the journeyman forward has found a groove once again.
Over the past month, the Sixers have been tasked with staying afloat without Joel Embiid. They've needed production from all over to fill the void left by the reigning MVP. In their recent stretch, Oubre has stepped up in a big way. He pulled off a feat off the bench that the Sixers haven't seen in years.
Against the Dallas Mavericks Sunday, Oubre notched 21 points in 26 minutes. He followed that up by erupting for 30 points in a nail-biting matchup with the Brooklyn Nets. With these performances, Oubre is the first Sixer since Shake Milton in 2021 to have back-to-back 20+ point games off the bench.
Oubre has appeared in 48 games this season and is averaging 14.2 PPG, 4.5 RPG, and 1.2 APG. His 30-point barrage against the Nets marked a new season-high. Prior to this, the most points he scored in a game was 28.
As for Shake Milton, he has bounced around the league in his first year since leaving the Sixers. He signed a free-agent deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves, but was traded to the Detroit Pistons at the deadline. They proceeded to buy him out, and he ended up landing a contract with the New York Knicks.
