During Kelly Oubre's two seasons with the Charlotte Hornets, he gave the fanbase plenty of exciting memories. Oubre was always the type of player who could totally catch fire on any given night, and now Philadelphia 76ers fans are also becoming keenly aware of that reality.
Looking back on it, Kelly was one of Charlotte's most productive role players between 2021 and 2023. In 2021-22, he was the team's fifth-leading scorer at 15.0 points per game, and he finished seventh that year in Sixth Man of the Year voting.
The next season, he was elevated to an even bigger role with Miles Bridges out for the season and LaMelo Ball only playing 36 games. Oubre put up 20.1 points a night and was in the starting lineup nearly every game.
Hornets fans came to love Kelly in a short amount of time due to the joy he played with, and the electrifying moments he brought. He was sometimes a bit of an unpredictable player, and you were never quite sure what you were going to get out of him. But that was part of the fun in watching him.
Kelly Oubre remains a talented and unpredictable player
For example, who could forget January 5, 2022, when Oubre sank a career-high (at the time) nine three-pointers at home against the Detroit Pistons? Right along with Eric Collins' famous "from Sardis road!" call. It was those kinds of moments that sent the Spectrum Center crowd into a frenzy.
And then on the flip side of the coin, Kelly certainly had some head-scratching games in a Hornets uniform where he'd play 30 minutes and only finish with five points. But that's just the reality of being a streaky shooter.
Now, Sixers fans are enjoying (and sometimes shaking their heads) over the Kelly Oubre experience. He's certainly stepped up for Philadelphia as of late, providing creation ability with other important players in and out of the lineup. Such is the bright side of having this kind of player on your roster: He's the ultimate X-factor, and he's always going to have the ability to give your team a boost when they're in a pinch.
Volatility is part of the package deal, but it's also what makes Oubre valuable in the right moments. When offense stagnates or energy is lacking, he can change the feel of a game in a hurry. Ultimately, that's a trait contenders often need more than they realize.