Kelly Oubre wasn’t supposed to get much playing time this season but he’s making the most of his unexpected opportunity, according to Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post. The Wizards wanted to essentially redshirt the rookie small forward but injuries have thrust him into the rotation, Castillo continues. Oubre’s performances during the team’s 1-3 road trip against Southwest opponents — including an 18-point outing against the Spurs — were some of the few positives that came out of it, Castillo adds. He was selected with the No. 15 overall pick by the Hawks and then dealt to the Wizards on draft night. “Progression is the word,” Oubre told Castillo. “Every game is different. Every game I try to get better. At practice I probably get better. I’m starting to get the hang of the whole NBA thing now.”
In other news around the Southeast Division:
- Hornets shooting guard Jeremy Lamb credits coach Steve Clifford for his breakout season, as he indicated to Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders. Lamb’s reputation as a dead-eye shooter preceded him but Clifford has also utilized Lamb as a playmaker, Brigham continues. “He does a good job helping everybody play to their strengths. He sees the best in me,” Lamb told Brigham. “Coach Clifford said he always knew I was a good shooter, but he didn’t realize how good of a passer I was, so he said I should do more in making plays for others.”
- Gerald Green claims the Heat value his defense more than his previous teams, especially the Suns, Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post reports. The veteran swingman told Lieser that the Suns “dogged” him regarding his defensive effort the past two seasons but the Heat coaching staff has treated him much differently. “This year they’ve got me on the best players, so I’ve taken the challenge,” Green said. “They give me confidence and they encourage me so much to go out and do it. I’ve never been encouraged to play defense with any other team I’ve been on.”
- The Hawks recalled center Walter Tavares from the D-League’s Austin Spurs on Monday following a two-game stint, a development initially reported by Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link) and later confirmed on the team’s website. Tavares has appeared in six D-League games and four NBA games this season.
Nice to see Oubre have his moments, but the need to press him into service at this point is another sign that the season just hasn’t gone to plan for the Wizards, tonight’s W notwithstanding.
Lamb has been the beneficiary of MKG’s injury and Hardaway Jr.’s struggles. To his credit, he has seized the opportunity, posting a PER of 18.4 to this point.
Are you referring to PJ Hairston?
As I’ve continued to say, Jeremy Lamb hasn’t surprised me. I was aware of this ability when I was speaking about him being used improperly by Scott Brooks and the Thunder over the last 2+ years.
Gerald Green has certainly been a lot more impressive than expected. He still has lapses, but he has really competed defensively, and that’s why he has been getting a lot of minutes. He has done a great job of improving with the Heat’s system
Oubre is an option at the 2/3/4 spots. With Gooden coming back, and Oubre finally playing, the Wizards should finally get to the correct rotations soon. Obviously Bradley Beal coming back will also contribute to that
John Wall, Bradley Beal, Jared Dudley, Otto Porter, Marcin Gortat
Drew Gooden, Kelly Oubre, Gary Neal, Ramon Sessions, Nene as the primary rotation off the bench, with Garret Temple and Alan Anderson as the next 2 off the bench in certain situations.