Kelly Oubre Jr. Believes in the Kid, 'He's Going to be a Star in This League'
Charlotte Hornets fans haven't had much to be excited about a third of the way through the season. With multiple key players out, the team has struggled to win games, despite remaining competitive with a bunch of young kids seeing a lot of action.
One bright spot has been 2022 second-round draft pick Bryce McGowens. Very few expected the 20-year-old to have much of a role with the Hornets this year, but due to injuries he's getting a chance to gain experience at the NBA level and he's making the most of it.
“There’s a lot of positives going forward, and he’s right at the top of that list to me," Hornets head coach Steve Clifford said in a postgame press conference last week. "He’s got size, he has instincts, he has a feel for the game. But the biggest thing is he steps out there like he belongs. He’s poised, he’s smart. We had one game where he was in the film session and it was like, ‘Look at this.’ It was all technique-based off things that he had never done before in training camp that he’s doing every night now. He’s got to get bigger, stronger, more experienced, but he has a chance to be a really good player.”
Clifford isn't the only one that believes McGowens has a high ceiling. His teammate and mentor, Kelly Oubre Jr., echoed a lot of the same sentiments.
"His poise, his demeanor. He doesn't get rattled. No moment seems too big for him. He's always ready. He comes out there and he plays his game, he's smooth," Oubre said. "When I was his age I was 100 miles per hour running through walls and just banging my head against everything, so to see him in his mind frame right now as a rookie, it doesn't emulate a normal rookie. He's NBA ready and I feel like he's going to be a star in this league. Whatever I can do to help him, it's what I'm here for. Just pointers, getting up shots, or just talking about defensive film things like that. He has a lot of talent, a lot of potential to be a star in this league."
McGowens told me before the start of the season that Oubre had gone out of his way to help him get acclimated to the NBA game and voluntarily took the youngster under his wing. That relationship continues to grow stronger each day, especially with McGowens getting some run in Charlotte.
In 12 games with the big league club this season, McGowens is averaging 4.4 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game while shooting 42% from the field and 37% from three-point range. No, the numbers aren't eye-popping by any means, but sometimes the numbers don't tell the whole story. As both Oubre and Clifford expressed, it's how he's handling himself on and off the court. He goes into each game prepared and knows exactly what to and where to be. Playing with the G-League affiliate, Greensboro Swarm, has helped in that transition.
"Just being able to play in Greensboro. Play great basketball. We run a lot of the same action, of course," McGowens said. "So, just getting the feel for it and when I come up here I'm able to space the floor and try to make plays whether that's offensively or defensively."
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