07-08-2021, 07:32 AM
(07-07-2021, 09:23 PM)Kammrath Wrote: RE: Oubre
The guy is clearly athletic and you can see his raw talent....BUT....
1) The dude can't shoot. Career high 35.2% from three....career 32.6% from three. Career 43.3% from the field.
2) The dude looks like a decent defender from time to time when locked in, but the reality is he does NOT help team D. In recent years he is -2.8, -1.6, +2.0 (half season in PHX), -3.8 (half season in WAS), and -3.4 in on/off D.
3) He also doesn't help O. In recent years he is -8.8, 0.0, +3.6 (half season in PHX), -4.8 (half season in WAS), -3.1, and -6.9 in on/off O.
He had ONE half season in PHX where he was a "winning player" and that is it. He is the consummate journeyman who has enough talent and intrigue to keep getting more tries in the NBA, but no team REALLY wants him because the reality is that he is not a good team NBA player.
So, I'll take the counter since I've already posted that this isn't my favorite. I like on/off, but if it was the be-all/end-all, JRich would have worked. He was positive every year but one in his career prior to Dallas and was -4.7 here. Wright was -4.9 here and has been positive in limited time with three teams since leaving. I tried to focus on Peak Oubre his last year in Phoenix. He did some good things. He was elite from 10-16 feet and very good getting to the basket. He even showed some promise as the PnR ball handler. This last year in GS he was sixth in the NBA among players 6'9" or shorter in "stops" which is the combination of defensive rebounds, steals and blocks. Dallas is a soft team and adding a smaller guard like Conley helps, but doesn't change the issue of softness. They don't have anyone who can display the athleticism and force that Oubre does. I can see the attraction. I don't think he's a $20 million player either, but if I've landed Conley, I'm looking for my Crowder equivalent next. I don't need another scorer. I think Oubre has a chance of working in the right role. There would certainly be space to get to the rim once he breaks past his man on a drive.
Back to on/off for a moment. His numbers last year were just crazy. The lineups that worked, really worked and the lineups that sucked, really sucked. I wonder how much of a factor Wiseman was in that. Wiseman was a -14.6 in his minutes. Oubre's most used lineup included Wiseman was negative (Curry, Green and Wiggins were also part of that lineup). The next two most used lineups were nicely positive (7.3 and 10.9) and don't include Wiseman. Even superstar Curry was -9.2 any time he was on the floor with Wiseman last season. Wiggins was positive every year in Minnesota (surprisingly), but has been negative since joining GS. Draymond has been +9.8 for his career and was 9.6 overall last season. But, he was -9.8 when paired with Wiseman last season. I can make the case that Oubre didn't help. It is hard to find a positive two-man pairing with Oubre. But Wiseman was bone-crushingly bad last season and destroyed everyone's numbers whenever he was on the court. Would I feel better if Oubre had a better history of good on/off showings...absolutely. But, if I go back a year to Phoenix, all three of his most used five-man lineups are positive (6.5, 18.6 and 4.6) and his top eight four-man lineups are positive. That gives me some hope. The "idea of Oubre" is something that is needed here. Whether the actuality lives up to the idea is unknowable based on on/off alone. If it was, we wouldn't need to dump JRich.