Forced into solitary confinement on January 10, Kelly Oubre Jr. was obviously not thrilled. But he was all the less so as he was doing well offensively, notably coming out of a match with 32 points, including a very strong 9/14 from 3-pointers in a very offensive victory against Detroit (140-111) .
Returning to business a week ago, the Hornets winger had lost his offensive punch with three of his first four return games between 8 and 12 points, and this at a more than questionable address (11/38 on shots) .
A record-breaking evening
“I’m still trying to find my rhythm”, he said the other night in the Charlotte Observer after a night at 1/9 at 3-pointers. “I have to go back to the gym tomorrow and focus on my fundamentals, find the rhythm and get back to the routine I had before being ten days in solitary confinement. When you get sick, it disrupts your whole rhythm. You must stay at home for ten days, not go out, not move. You are no longer really in control of your destiny because you have to follow the rules of the health protocol. The return is difficult but that’s how it is, you have to be able to perform well no matter what happens. “
Wednesday evening, Kelly Oubre Jr. found the light. And the Hornets in its wake! As against Detroit before his confinement, he set fire to the powder with an explosive 39-point outing (his new career high) including a scintillating 10/15 from 3-pointers, his new career-best performance behind the arc (in terms of volume). Better, Charlotte has squarely established the biggest offensive score of the year in the NBA, beating Indiana (158-126).
“We caught fire in the third quarter and we didn’t look back. None of us really wanted to do stats, all we wanted to do was play hard. (…) We wanted to focus on us and our game. It’s the fourth time we’ve played the Pacers so we know them well. It was about finding our game fund and producing 48 solid minutes of basketball. “
A painful awakening
After a 3/23 on aggregate from 3-pointers in his last three outings, Kelly Oubre Jr. had regained his luster, setting a franchise record at 3-pointers for a substitute.
“I just kept doing what I’m doing. I’m in the gym every day of my life and I just have to trust my work. I had to sit for ten days and I had to find my rhythm. That’s what I managed to do in this match, to get back to where I was before those ten days. “
Already at 24 points after three quarters, including a rather insane 4-point action that he finished with his arms crossed, Kelly Oubre Jr. especially caught fire in the last quarter, succeeding 5 of his 6 attempts from distance, including a last at very long distance. To end on a high note!
“I love finishing games. If I don’t start them, I at least want to be there to finish them! “
| Kelly Oubre, Jr. | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2015-16 | WAS | 63 | 11 | 42.7 | 31.6 | 63.3 | 0.4 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 0.2 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 3.8 |
| 2016-17 | WAS | 79 | 20 | 42.1 | 28.7 | 75.8 | 0.8 | 2.5 | 3.3 | 0.6 | 2.5 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 6.3 |
| 2017-18 | WAS | 81 | 28 | 40.3 | 34.1 | 82.0 | 0.7 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 1.2 | 2.9 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 11.8 |
| 2018-19 * | All Teams | 69 | 28 | 44.5 | 32.0 | 77.5 | 1.0 | 3.7 | 4.7 | 1.2 | 2.6 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 0.9 | 15.2 |
| 2018-19 * | PHX | 40 | 30 | 45.3 | 32.5 | 76.1 | 1.2 | 3.7 | 4.9 | 1.6 | 2.8 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 16.9 |
| 2018-19 * | WAS | 29 | 26 | 43.3 | 31.1 | 80.0 | 0.8 | 3.6 | 4.5 | 0.7 | 2.5 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 12.9 |
| 2019-20 | PHX | 56 | 35 | 45.2 | 35.2 | 78.0 | 1.2 | 5.3 | 6.5 | 1.5 | 3.4 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 18.7 |
| 2020-21 | GOS | 55 | 31 | 43.9 | 31.6 | 69.5 | 1.5 | 4.5 | 6.0 | 1.3 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 15.4 |
| 2021-22 | CHA | 43 | 28 | 45.2 | 36.0 | 65.3 | 1.0 | 2.9 | 4.0 | 1.1 | 2.4 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 16.3 |
| Total | 446 | 25 | 43.5 | 33.2 | 75.5 | 0.9 | 3.4 | 4.4 | 1.0 | 2.5 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 12.0 | |
