Sixers of all ages have their moments vs. Nets, enjoy themselves early in season originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Just about every single active NBA generation had time in the spotlight for the Sixers on Sunday night.
Kelly Oubre Jr. was in the middle of it all.
The 29-year-old wing scored 29 points — 22 in a sensational first quarter — and the 5-1 Sixers cruised to a road victory over the winless Nets.
As Oubre observed in the visitors’ locker room at Barclays Center, the Sixers’ night was bookended by extremes. In the early stages, VJ Edgecombe kept on exploding above the rim. In the final minutes, Kyle Lowry entered and drained a corner three-pointer on the first shot of his 20th NBA season, which the Sixers’ bench celebrated with gusto. Johni Broome made his NBA debut and Hunter Sallis scored his first basket, too.
Edgecombe essentially has a lifetime’s less NBA experience than Lowry.
“He’s a winner, man,” Oubre said of the six-time All-Star guard. “He’s a pro. He’s done this at a very high level for a long time — longer than VJ’s been alive.
“He’s just an inspiration, honestly. He’s done everything at the highest level that we all would wish to do. Just having him around and seeing him hit his first shot of the year, it brings life into the team. He’s our big brother, so we all root for him.”
Oubre didn’t exaggerate much. When Lowry debuted, the 20-year-old Edgecombe was a 3-month-old baby. Lowry, 39, is now the league’s third-oldest player behind only Chris Paul and LeBron James. He’s happy to be an unofficial assistant coach and mentor.
“He’s old as hell,” Tyrese Maxey said after a 26-point, seven-assist evening. “But he works out every day — works out hard every day. He’s in there with me early. He rebounds, he screens. … He watches VJ, he watches Jared (McCain). What he’s doing for our team right now … and he’s up cheering. That’s a Hall of Famer we’re talking about.
“His jersey will probably get retired in Toronto and he’s up cheering for everybody, motivating people, talking in the locker room. I’ve got nothing but love and respect for K-Low and we appreciate having him.”
There’s a circle-of-life aspect to Lowry’s presence on the Sixers.
He’s been a young bench player, a star, a veteran cheerleader. Almost everything’s changed for Lowry in such an enduring, feisty career. He’s passed everything down.
“He’s like my leader,” Maxey said. “He comes to me and leads me, and I try to lead the team. I couldn’t do this without him, honestly. He calls me at least three, four times a day and we talk. It’s good, though. I’m glad he’s here.”
On top of Maxey, two other mid-20s Sixers had outstanding games. Quentin Grimes posted 22 points and a career-high 13 assists. Trendon Watford had 16 points on 7-for-9 shooting, nine rebounds and seven assists against his former team.
“He can do a little bit of everything,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said. “He can handle and he can post. That’s a spectrum of offense, right?”
Oubre is set to hit 30 years old next month. He’s had quite a strong start to his third season as a Sixer. Over 38 minutes per game, he’s averaged 19.5 points on a 65.7 true shooting percentage. Oubre’s best true shooting mark for a full season is 56.0. The lefty’s also chipped in 6.3 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.2 assists per game.
Sunday’s first quarter exhibited the best version of Oubre as a scorer. He noted at media day this year that he wanted to play with less haste and more control. That’s often translated to swift drives and short, sensible jumpers. Oubre hasn’t lost his attacking edge either.
“Just letting the game slow down, letting it come to you,” he said. “Not going out there and forcing things, not having any preconceived notions. Trusting the work that I put in over the summer. It’s definitely a work in progress as I continue to learn and grow and watch film, but it works.
“And I’m sure it’s easily digestible that way, if you watch me play. I don’t want to have people watch me play and be like, ‘Oh, he’s forcing’ or ‘He’s rushing.’ It’s just not a good look. So it’s just something that I’ve evolved over time and I’m still continuing to work on.”
He’s a decade or so away from Lowry’s accumulated wisdom, but Oubre sounds like a player who’s logged plenty of years.
