The Philadelphia 76ers, despite an exciting win last night against the Memphis Grizzlies, have had an up-and-down month. After starting December with a 6-2 record, they dropped three straight games to the Nets, Bulls and Thunder. While some of this is due to their play, another big factor is the absence of Sixers forward Kelly Oubre Jr.
Oubre was in the middle of his best season as a Sixer before the injury, averaging 16.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists on a career-high 49.7% field goal percentage in his 12 starts. He is more than just a scorer, as he is seventh in the league in deflections per game at 4.3.
During his time with the Sixers, he has been the most consistent and available player for the team. His versatility and defensive buy-in have been a godsend for the Sixers these past few seasons. While he has dealt with his fair share of injuries, Oubre is still the only player on the Sixers roster who played in more than 60 games for the team each of the previous two seasons. Now, Oubre has been out since Nov. 15 with a sprained knee. Since then, the Sixers have hovered just above .500, going 10-9 in that time.
Oubre's injury has also impacted the bench in a negative way. Since Oubre's absence, the Sixers' bench ranks 23rd in the league in points per game, averaging just 32.2 points a night. They are also ranked 28th in bench field goal percentage in that same time frame at 41.3%. Before his injury, the Sixers' bench wasn't a world-beater, but they averaged 34.8 points per night. More notably, the Sixers had the fifth-ranked field goal percentage for the bench, shooting 48.8% from the field.
While the Sixers were just 7-5 in his 12 appearances, it is important to also note that the Sixers, like usual, were still dealing with injuries to key players. More specifically, Oubre only got to play in 6 games with Embiid, going 4-2 in those games. On top of that, the Sixers have yet to have Oubre and Paul George available for the same game this season.
The Sixers have struggled with their forward depth all season and a big part of that has to do with Oubre's absence. Now, with George playing more often and becoming more comfortable with the team, the Sixers are primed to make a run with Oubre's eventual return from the injury report.
