What more do the Pacers need from Kelly Oubre?

Kelly Oubre Jr. has found himself inserted into a bigger role than he envisioned when he signed during the offseason. With the numerous amount of injuries the team is currently facing, they will need him to elevate his level of play.

Learning a new system --especially one as complex as the Pacers-- is a challenge in and of itself. But when you add that half the rotation is sidelined with injuries, the system has to adjust to what personnel is available. This makes the system Oubre spent all training camp and preseason learning different and he forces him to adjust once again to a different role.

With his 12 years of NBA experience, the veteran wing is familiar with stepping up into bigger roles when his number is called. He's been a starter in this league, a key bench player and his role on the offense has differed from being a go-to option or a role player.

Indiana needs more from Oubre, but what more can he provide? Our team of experts at Sports Illustrated share what more he can do.

Alex Golden

KOJ — Oct 13, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Kelly Oubre Jr. (10) stands on the court during the second half against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"I like Kelly a lot. Truth is we need more out of him and everyone else that's playing," Carlisle told me in his pregame press conference. "He's doing some good things, but we need everyone to step it up. When you get in a situation like this which we've been in before many times, you focus on the people that you have and not the ones you don't. That's what we're focusing on, but everyone can do better, starting with me."

Through six games this season, Oubre is struggling to connect from outside (22.7% from three) but is scoring at high percentage in the two-point range (61.5%). The Pacers offense relies on a balanced shot diet of looks at the rim and looks from the perimeter. While Oubre isn't shooting a good percentage from outside, he has to continue to take the open looks from outside. The one thing he can control is the amount of contested shots he's taking from the perimeter.

Inside the arc, Oubre is finishing at an efficient number. The Pacers rank 5th in the league in points in the paint, and that's something they can continue to rely on. During the Miami game on Friday, Oubre caught the ball curling up on the right wing and drove to the basket and converted a tough two over Klay Thompson. We haven't seen many bully-ball drives from Oubre, but when he's taken them it's led to more points than when he hasn't.

Oubre is sixth in field goal attempts per game with 8. In his two best showings, the Pacers destroyed the Brooklyn Nets 136-109 and they almost upset the Philadelphia 76ers in a 114-109 loss. He scored 14 points on 6-9 shooting against Brooklyn and had 15 points on 5-10 shooting versus Philadelphia. The small-sample size trend reflects that when Oubre scores at a good number, the Pacers typically play better.

Defensively, he has been inconsistent. They can use a much better showing on that side of the ball from him, and it will potentially help unlock his offense if the good defense can lead to fast break opportunities. Indiana desperately needs more from him with several key players out.

Tre Allen

KOJ — Oct 21, 2026; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Kelly Oubre Jr. (10) warms up before a game against New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Last season for the Philadelphia 76ers, Kelly Oubre was an essential role player in their success. He averaged 14.1 points, five rebounds and 1.4 steals per on 46.7% shooting from the field and 36% from the 3-point line.

When the Indiana Pacers added him in the offseason, their expectations were that he was going to produce to a similar level to help round out the roster. So far, Oubre has been disappointing, especially with his efficiency from the 3-point line only shooting 22.7% from downtown.

On top of poor shooting efficiency, his defense has also been lackluster. Those were the things that made him valuable as a player with good size and versatility on both ends of the court but has not been seen this year as the Pacers are 2-4 on the year and now with Tyrese Haliburton going to be out for an extended period of time.

The Pacers still have Pascal Siakam and Andrew Nembhard to help with scoring but as a veteran who came of a season averaging 14 points with the 76ers who had Joel Embiid, VJ Edgecombe, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey, he’s going to have to step up on both ends of the court.

Siakam does most of his work inside the paint, so spacing and having consistent shooting will help with the flow of the offense. His 3-point shooting needs to see an improvement to help with consistency and the hard nosed defense he once had needs to be intensified to help get Indiana back on track.

Ethan Skolnick

KOJ Q — Oct 25, 2026; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Indiana Pacers guards Kelly Oubre Jr. (10) and Quenton Jackson (29) react during the second half against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It's complicated, because the way the Pacers are constructed, Oubre's insertion into the rotation was designed to plug any holes that might arise -- but the one that he can't plug is Haliburton's playmaking. So it's unreasonable for him to provide all that much of the creation. But what he can do is keep the offense moving, with even more aggressive cutting, offensive rebounding and scoring off of secondary actions.

And defend. That's paramount. The Pacers can't win as many shootouts in this state; they'll need to grind out a game or two at some point. Oubre must take on some of the bigger assignments, and limit efficiency wherever possible.

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