Why the Hornets Should Re-Sign Kelly Oubre Jr
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The Hornets have a decision to make with Kelly Oubre Jr this summer. They had the choice to let Oubre go at the trade deadline, but opted against it. It's hard to gauge what the team's decision will be on the 27-year old wingman. In the past, the Hornets have been reluctant to pay their free agents during free agency. Will Oubre be among one of the players the Hornets let go this summer?
Kelly Oubre Jr at the deadline spoke about not wanting to be in any trade rumors and wanting to stay in Charlotte long-term.
From the Charlotte Observer, Rod Boone sat down with Oubre who said the following
Kelly Oubre Jr has been a force this season for the Hornets as he's having a career year. This season, Oubre is averaging 20.4 points per game, along with 5.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals with a TS% of 53.2%. Last season, Oubre’s shot selection was questionable because most of the shots he attempted were three-pointers. However, this season Oubre has realized that he can score in other ways and that’s been the biggest reason to his success. In 17 attempts per game this year, 10 of those are of the two-point variety. In 12 attempts last season, only five were of the two-point variety.
Below is a breakdown of Kelly Oubre's differential of field goal attempts this season compared to last season.
| 2021-2022 FGA Breakdown | 2022-2023 FGA Breakdown |
|---|---|
410-932 Field-Goal Attempts | 326-763 Field-Goal Attempts |
191-553 Three-Point Attempts | 104-319 Three-Point Attempts |
% of shots taken that were three-pointers: 58.0% | % of shot taken that were three-pointers: 41.8% |
An increase of role has led to more minutes for Oubre. In that role Oubre has taken advantage. For example, Oubre has already recorded 22 games of 20+ point performances in 44 games. Last season, Oubre tallied just 18 games of 20+ points in 76 games. Oubre finding different ways to score could also be a direct result of this.
For the most part over the two seasons that Oubre has been in Charlotte, he’s stayed healthy. Last season, Oubre appeared in 76 games for the Hornets. The games he missed last year were due to Covid. This season, Oubre had a hand injury that kept him out for over two months. Before finally getting surgery on his hand, Oubre had been gutting out the injury when he suffered it at the beginning of the season. Oubre recently returned to the starting lineup because of the injury to LaMelo Ball. Since doing so, he’s averaging 25.0 points per game, along with 6.7 rebounds, while shooting 45.0% from the field, 96.8% from the line, and over 40% from three on over 3 makes per game. The next 12 games will be important for Oubre and his upcoming free agency.
Not only has Oubre had the best season of his career, but he's also brought a lot of good energy to the team. Along with that, he's created a culture that management and Hornets fans should want to have on their side.
For example, look at the passion Oubre had to beat the New York Knicks last week.
It certainly has not been the season the Hornets were looking to have with everything that transpired with Miles Bridges and all the injuries the Hornets suffered. However, Oubre has been one of the few positives for the team. The Hornets should look to do everything they can to re-sign Oubre if they have the money to do so.
It’s unclear how much Oubre’s contract will look like and the amount of money the Hornets are willing to spend. There’s a lot of questions for the Hornets to answer this summer and it will be interesting to see how they handle the Kelly Oubre situation.
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