NBA Summer League 2015: Kelly Oubre Is Who We Thought He Was, But That’s A Good Thing

By Ben Mehic | Jul 18, 2015

I admittedly didn’t know much about Kelly Oubre on draft night. The Kansas forward was supposed to get picked in the late lottery and the Washington Wizards were out of his range. In fact, he didn’t even work out for Washington’s brass during the predraft process.

Instead, I focused on learning about the likes of Bobby Portis, Kevon Looney and others that were projected to get picked in the late first round. So what did Ernie Grunfeld do? He moved up four spots and grabbed Oubre — a move that no one saw coming.

Even though I didn’t know virtually anything about Oubre prior to the draft, it didn’t take me long to learn. All of the profiles on Oubre were the same, often describing him as a raw, athletic, physical freak that needs years of development before becoming a contributor at the next level.

At that point, it did seem like the pundits were right.

I watched “tape” and Oubre did lack the consistency that’s necessary to contribute at the next level. Quite honestly, I was a bit afraid the Wizards made a mistake given the amount of “NBA ready” players available at their original draft position — Justin Anderson, Jerian Grant and others come to mind.

In six games with the Wizards during NBA Summer League, though, my perception on Oubre quickly changed.

Oubre is someone who’s constantly talked about wanting to get better.

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I mean, as a 19-year-old player who just got drafted to play in the most popular basketball league in the world, Oubre spent his nights in LAS VEGAS getting better in the gym while he certainly could’ve been doing other things.

His work ethic is undoubtedly fantastic and it’s evident in the amount of growth his game has shown.

Right from the start of summer league, Oubre displayed a much tighter handle of the ball, which is something he desperately needed to work on.

While his ball handling is still shaky at times, it’s clear that he’s learned how to use angles to the point where he doesn’t necessarily have to rely on crossovers in order to get to the basket.

Oubre uses his length, takes long strides to the rim and accepts contact when he gets to the rim instead of shying away from it. This past season at Kansas, Oubre would often fade away on his way to the basket or get knocked off balance instead of accepting the contact and getting two free throws out of it.

After games, even the stretch where the Wizards played four in as many nights, Oubre would spend time with trainer Drew Hanlen to develop his jump shot. Understanding that he must knock down the open jumper in Washington if he wants to get playing time, especially along side John Wall, Oubre has spent an extraordinary amount of time on developing his jumper this summer.

While he did struggle to shoot early on during summer league, he was forced to take shots that he won’t have to take during the regular season. Yesterday, though, Oubre’s work showed as he knocked down 5 of his 7 three point shots en route to 30 points to close out the circuit.

Oubre still has a couple of months left until the start of training camp and he’ll certainly use the time to get better with Hanlen, who’s also worked with Bradley Beal in the off-season.

Before the draft, Oubre was considered “basketball illiterate” by an NBA GM. Since then, it’s clear that he’s invested a lot of time in developing himself. He’s no longer relying on pure athleticism, but rather on angles and defensive stops to get easy baskets on the other end of the floor.

Does Oubre still have a lot of developing before he becomes a consistent contributor? Absolutely.

He needs to shoot the ball well from the outside consistently if he wants to crack the rotation next season, which is something he’ll have a hard time to do given the amount of wing depth Washington has. He needs to get stronger and needs to continue improving his ball handling.

With all that said, the Wizards seem to have another player who’s capable of becoming a key piece in the not too distant future. He’ll have the chance to learn from the likes of Marcin Gortat and Jared Dudley — two players who’ve developed a positive reputation from having great work ethics.

I’m no longer worried that Kelly Oubre was the wrong pick. Others might be further along at this point, but that doesn’t matter anymore. The Wizards have built an army of hard working, high-character players and Oubre will fit right in.

I can’t wait to see what he does in the future, because it’s certainly bright. So, when can I order my Kelly Oubre jersey?

Next: Journeyman Machado Hopes To Stick In DC

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