The Kelly Oubre Jr. experience has been a rollercoaster ride since he first put on a Warriors jersey a few months ago.
He had a historically difficult start, but got a glimpse of the player the Warriors thought they would get during free agency. Think of when the roller coaster crawls up the slope to the top. But then, as roller coasters do, his performance would collapse.
But the biggest takeaway of the season from Oubre to date is that he’s great for the Warriors when he’s at it and how he does it matches how the Warriors do it.
Against the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday, Oubre had a career night, scoring a personal best of 40 points on 14-of-21 shots, including 7-of-10 by distance. He scored 22 points in the first half alone – equalizing his career-high for most points in the half – just a week after scoring a career-high 16 points in a quarter. And the Warriors not only won, but they blew out the Mavs 147-116 and went without a real center.
“I think this is coming,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr told the media at a Zoom conference after the game. “It is clear that it has been a difficult first quarter of the season for Kelly. And yet he has played some great games for us during that time. People are locked up. But Kelly is more comfortable. Guys in the locker room. love him and want to help him stay comfortable. This was clearly a great night for him. “
Seeing Oubre as he did was a sign of relief to both the Warriors and Warrior fans. But the most encouraging aspect of Oubre’s play is how comfortable he looked on the field and his ability to play alongside Steph Curry – which was previously a problem area.
But everything clicked on Thursday evening. As Oubre said in “Warriors Postgame Live,” Dallas had size, but the Warriors had speed. Oubre also had post-game pace – he got out of the locker room and onto the team bus within 20 minutes of the end of the game.
But back to the game. This is far from the first time Oubre played in a small ball setup. That’s when he played his best basketball with the Phoenix Suns in recent seasons.
“I think, frankly, I think this style would suit everyone better,” Kerr told the media post game. “When the game is like that, it’s so loose and up and down and it almost feels like Summer League. I think everyone feels more comfortable in a small game where there is a lot of space and room to roam. It’s a little bit easier to get a rhythm. “
With James Wiseman re-evaluated in about five days and Kevon Looney out for a minimum of two weeks, the Warriors will be relying on small-ball for at least the rest of their Texas road trip against the Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs.
In those three remaining games – one more against the Mavericks and two more against Spurs – it will be vital for Oubre to match the energy he played on Thursday. No, he does not need to have 40 points again. Fifteen points per night would be enough. But the same intensity – intensity that led Oubre to block 7-foot-4 Boban Marjanovic – must be there.
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This play could be the spark for Oubre during this next piece, and then after Wiseman and Looney return. It will be difficult to play with the speed the Warriors had against Dallas. But aspects of this game have to be reapplied when the Warriors have more typical five-man setups.
The Warriors need to keep the ball and exercise they had against the Mavs moving forward, and when that happens, Oubre usually plays better.
Oubre has had so many ups and downs so far, and we are only a quarter of the season. But if his career game showed anything, it’s that he can succeed on this team, and when he does, the group is better.
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