There are probably two distinct mindsets to interpreting the 2025-26 Philadelphia 76ers as we near the halfway point.
On one hand, some fans are probably checked out. The last 10 years have been a whirlwind
of emotions for Sixers fans and last season’s disaster was probably enough for many to scale back their investment, both from a time and money standpoint. At 19-15, with a slew of absences from Joel Embiid and Paul George (as expected), there certainly has not been enough from the Sixers for this sect of the fanbase to reengage on a more serious level.
On the other hand, there have been some reasons for optimism as well and Philadelphia looks set in the backcourt for many years to come with Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe. The glass-half-full fan probably looks at this as the beginning of a transition away from Embiid and George and towards the team’s young guards and sees a new era being ushered in.
The return of Kelly Oubre – which appears imminent at this point with him being listed as questionable Wednesday – should appease both of these types of fans. The disgruntled fan that is done getting excited about the Sixers largely thanks to Embiid and George’s lack of consistent performance and availability watched Oubre be a calming presence in Philadelphia’s rotation in the previous two seasons. In Oubre’s first season in Philadelphia, he appeared in 68 games, starting 52 of them, and he started all six games of Philly’s first-round playoff series defeat against New York.
In 2024-25, a season in which seemingly every Sixer was snakebit by injuries, the veteran wing appeared in 60 games, making 57 starts. Only Ricky Council IV and Guerschon Yabusele played more games for the Sixers last season and both of those players are no longer with the organization. So, if you’re a fan that is fed up with the rotating door of starting lineups for the Sixers thanks to injuries, know that Oubre has mostly been a constant in his time as a Sixer. If Oubre can avoid further injury in 2025-26, there’s a chance he again plays 55-60 games for Philly in his age 30 season.
If you’re more of an optimist when it comes to this year’s Sixers and think there’s a chance for them to really do some damage this season, you’ll view Oubre’s return as deepening a rotation that needs more bodies. It goes without saying that Maxey and Edgecombe need to be great on just about a nightly basis for Philly to have a chance to win games. But a big reason why the Sixers aren’t better than their mediocre 19-15 record thus far is the two lead guards just haven’t had enough consistent help.
Jared McCain has not returned to his 2024-25 form just yet and I’m sure some fans are getting a bit impatient with the second-year guard, for better or worse. Quentin Grimes has had a bit of a topsy-turvy season to date and can be a bit difficult to get a read on each night. There really hasn’t been anyone in the front court that Nick Nurse can rely on for offense on nights Embiid does not play and that often leaves Philadelphia trying to grind out lower-scoring wins rooted in its defense.
Oubre has mostly played on bad teams in his 11-year NBA career. But he’s been a 60-80 games a season guy practically every year. For his career, he’s a 32.5% three-point shooter, a 75.2% free-throw shooter and averages 13.3 points per game. It’s nothing fancy and it certainly won’t get Oubre in contention for any individual honors, but he shows up most nights and gives the team something.
Having another player who you can mostly know what to expect from in the rotation is exactly what the Sixers need as they trudge along through the dog days of the winter these next two months. Yes, if they’re going to be a serious title contender when winter gives way to spring, they’re probably going to need a stroke of luck when it comes to the availability and performances of Embiid and George. But they have to get to the meaningful spring games first in order for that stroke of luck to even be a factor. Kelly Oubre’s return will help them do that.
