76ERS Injury Update: Will Kelly Oubre Jr Play Tonight vs the Pacers After Suffering Near Life Threatening Accident?

Kelly Oubre Jr., a highly sought-after prospect coming off college, has been in various teams throughout his seven NBA years. Initially deciding to take a break to refocus, Nurse and Morey convinced him to join the 76ers. Their efforts weren’t in vain. Riding on the Harden trade woes and P.J. Tucker also leaving in its wake, Tsunami Papi has been a real source of comfort to the team.

But this comfort was marred by a near life-threatening accident yesterday in Center City. Though he was discharged after the hospital staff confirmed he was not in danger anymore, can he make a quick return to the team?

Will we see Kelly Oubre Jr. tonight?

The most obvious answer is no. Even though he returned home, there hasn’t been any official confirmation as to the gravity of his injuries. All we know is that Kelly was hit by a speeding car that fled the scene immediately after and that he will miss significant game time.

Looking back at the day he signed the contract with Philly, the Louisiana native was quite thrilled. Talking to the media after his done deal, Wave Papi said, “At the end of the day when I sat down ... I knew for a fact that I want to go somewhere where I wanted,” he said. “Just like Kansas … It really brought me back to my roots of basketball. You go where you’re wanted and you go where you’re loved, and I felt like this is the right place.” It definitely was the case here as well.

You could pretty much say that the Coach and the GM practically hounded the bouncy athlete day-to-day. Oubre Jr. has played in some of the top teams, like the Warriors, Hornets, and Wizards, before moving to the City of Brotherly Love. In each of these teams, he has stood out from everyone with his incredible skill set.

Take a look at his stats with the Hornets. Kelly averaged 20 points and 5 rebounds, which he held steady in the 48 appearances with them. Even with his brilliant performances, he has not been able to enter playoffs since 2018. “I’ve been on a couple of teams in my career and this is the most well-oiled machine that I’ve been to … this team wins every year. Right? …  I’ve come from teams where they have no hope, like, zero hope within the whole city. The organization gives its players the platform to do so with everything around us …  and I’m gonna just take advantage of it,” he added. Yet another reason he nodded to the 76ers contract.

What does Oubre’s absence mean for Philly?

This offseason was particularly hard for the Philadelphia 76ers. We all know one of the main reasons. But from a player value perspective, their key bench players – Shake Milton, Georges Niang, and Jalen McDaniels left for free agency. Looking for someone to fill Niang’s shoes is what led the Sixers down Oubre’s path.

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With Kelly temporarily incapacitated, Coach Nurse will need to depend on Nicolas Batum and Paul Reed to replicate Oubre’s production. Regarded as one of NBA’s skilled defenders, the Frenchman can brew trouble for smaller guards looking to get one over him. After all, his 7’1 wingspan is no joke. Reed is not behind Nic in the wingspan, measuring at 7’2. He can play offense comfortably while contesting shots from the defensive end with ease.

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Hopefully, this will be enough for the team to stay on the path. Philly has Embiid and Tyrese Maxey to go on. Hence, it’s just a matter of time before Tsunami Papi can create waves on the court again. Here’s to wishing him a speedy recovery.