Kelly Oubre Jr. addresses upcoming free agency after Sixers fall to Knicks
PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers are done for the 2023-24 season. A season filled with adversity and tough challenges ended with a 118-115 loss to the New York Knicks in Game 6 in Round 1. It was a tough series where the point differential was just one point in favor of the Knicks.
Now is the time to reflect on the season while also looking ahead to the summer and what kind of upgrades the Sixers can make to their roster. It also means they have to make decisions on their own free agents.
One of those upcoming free agents is Kelly Oubre Jr. The Sixers brought him in on a veteran minimum deal shortly before training camp and he was a steal. He averaged 15.4 points and 5.0 rebounds and produced well in the playoffs against the Knicks as well.
“I just wanna be loved,” Oubre said of his free agency values. “I don’t know about the business side of it. I mean, I do, but I can’t tell you what I know because I represent myself right now. At the end of the day, I wanna go somewhere where they respect and they love me. It’s been nothing but love here, of course.”
With that being said, Oubre and the Sixers did not get the job done in 2024. The goal was to win a title. That, obviously, did not happen. The injury to Joel Embiid didn’t help things, but it still doesn’t change the fact that the Sixers once again came up short in the playoffs.
“At the end of the day, I feel as if there’s unfinished business and a lot of things to be done and a lot of work to be done to get better and to get us back here past this point and this threshold that Sixers fans have been wanting to get past for so long,” Oubre added. “I feel as if I kinda failed because we didn’t get past that.”
The moment is still fresh at the moment. Oubre understands that he just needs time to be with his family before dealing with any of that.
“I gotta just reflect, talk to my family, and sit down and just work on the next steps here, but today, I just bask in whatever we’re in right now,” he added. “This moment, this aura of losing a playoff series and just use that fire.”
Coach Nick Nurse has had a hugely positive impact on Oubre in his one season in Philadelphia. Nurse is one reason why Oubre would want to return to the Sixers.
“Oh yeah,” he finished. “He’s the best coach I’ve played for straight up. It’s just his savviness. He’s a rock star for real so I can get with that and also, he coaches me tough. He understands what he expects of me and he expects me to go out there and do it, but I just have to exceed expectations like I’ve always tried to do.”
