Washington Wizards: Kelly Oubre Continues To Improve During Off-Season

By Ben Mehic | Jun 17, 2016

Feb 23, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards forward Kelly Oubre Jr. (12) on the court against the New Orleans Pelicans during the first half at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /

Washington Wizards rookie Kelly Oubre has to work on two things this summer in order to become a solid contributor next season

Mathematically, the Washington Wizards weren’t out of the playoff race until April. But in reality, their chances of making the postseason ended shortly after the All-Star break.

While the 2015-16 season was certainly disappointing to fans who had high expectations following two straight playoff appearances, there was no one more disappointed than Kelly Oubre, who wasn’t given a chance to help the team succeed.

Oubre was acquired by the Wizards on draft night last year in a three-team deal involving the New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks.

At the time, Washington was hoping to re-sign Paul Pierce in the off-season and already had Otto Porter coming off the bench. On top of that, Martell Webster was expected to return as a regular contributor in the rotation.

Washington failed to re-sign Pierce, but added Alan Anderson, Jared Dudley and Gary Neal through a trade and free agency. The Wizards had enough faith in Porter as their new starting small forward, and Anderson was supposed to lead the second unit.

On paper, the Wizards looked to have one of the deepest wing rotations in the Eastern Conference. With a new fast-paced system in place, Washington was supposed to have a ton of versatility, shooting and defense.

And then the injuries started to pile up.

Anderson underwent a seemingly minor ankle procedure after the Brooklyn Nets were eliminated from last years’ playoffs and was expected to participate in training camp.

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Discomfort in the ankle caused Anderson to have another procedure, sidelining him for what essentially became the remainder of the season.

Dudley was coming off back surgery and needed time to get into playing shape.

Webster also had a hip issue and was eventually waived by the team.

Porter went on to have some minor injuries that caused him to miss time, which forced the Washington Wizards to play the rookie much earlier than anticipated.

After just a season at Kansas, Oubre was asked to play real minutes for a team that was coming off a surprising playoff run.

Oubre played over 14 minutes per game for 29 contests during the months of December and January.

His numbers weren’t impressive – he put up just over four points and about three rebounds during the stretch – but he showed flashes of why Ernie Grunfeld wanted to move up in the draft to snag him, even though he didn’t work out for the team during the predraft process.

The 20-year-old displayed an innate ability to defend on the perimeter, which is a skill that most rookies lack. He was also knocking down 39.5 percent of his 3-point shots during that two month period, showing a much improved stroke from deep.

Given how hard he played defensively and the occasional highlight-worthy dunk, Oubre immediately became a fan favorite in D.C.

Porter eventually returned to the lineup and Randy Wittman began to play more small ball, often playing three guards at the same time.

Wittman, who’s notorious for not giving rookies playing time, cut Oubre’s minutes significantly and the rookie spent basically the rest of the season on the bench while the team continued to lose.

The coach who hindered Oubre’s development is gone and the Wizards finally have someone who values young players in Scott Brooks. As Oubre’s trainer, Drew Hanlen, told our very own Oz Baig, this summer is going to be incredibly important for his development.

Some have questioned Oubre’s work ethic because of his boisterous demeanor, but that notion couldn’t be more false.

Washington only has five players under contract heading into this summer’s free agency period and Oubre is one of them. He’s someone who the coaching staff will consider to be a key piece to the team’s success moving forward.

With that said, Oubre recognizes the opportunity that’s ahead of him and has worked diligently this off-season to improve his game.

Knowing that he has to improve his ball-handling to become an effective player at the top level, Oubre has been working with Hanlen to develop creating offense off the dribble.

John Wall was the only player on the Wizards’ roster this past season that wasn’t reliant on others to score. He was single-handedly responsible for carrying the team’s offense, and that was an issue.

If Oubre can improve his ball-handling, it would take a ton of pressure off Wall.

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No one on the team is expecting him to become Kyrie Irving overnight, but being able to make the most of the possession and not dribbling mindlessly into defenders is the first step.

Adding range to his jump shot is also going to be incredibly important, especially since he’ll share the court more with Wall next season.

Wall is undoubtedly one of the best passers in the world and he’s helped extend the careers of those who’ve had one foot out of the door.

The likes of Webster, Trevor Ariza, Rasual Butler and Dudley all had career shooting seasons along side Wall. That’s not a coincidence.

Players who are able to knock down the corner 3-point shot with regularity get paid. Wall created the most corner 3-point looks in the NBA.

Ariza and Webster, who were the league leaders in that category, also cashed out during free agency as a result. Dudley is also expected to get a significant raise this summer.

Adding a reliable 3-point shot to his arsenal, especially from the corner, is imperative for Oubre.

Although it was a small sample size, Oubre made just seven of his 24 attempts from the corner this past season.

Oubre’s athleticism and ability to run the floor will be utilized in fast break situations, but he also needs to be able to get to the corner and hit the three, which was a play that Ariza became known for during his time in Washington.

Defenses are going to continue to collapse on Wall once he beats his defenders off the dribble in the half-court, and Oubre is going to be slotted in the corner. The looks are going to be there and they’re going to be open. It will just be a matter of Oubre making the most of those open tries.

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Oubre has been putting in the necessary work during the summer and he’s committed to getting better. Putting on weight, finishing inside and learning how to defend without fouling are all things Oubre needs to continue to improve on, but creating for himself and hitting the three consistently are the skills he needs to contribute next season for Brooks’ club.

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