Warriors Starter Sounds Off As NBA’s Trade Deadline Nears

Getty Kelly Oubre Jr. looks to pass the ball in a game against the Dallas Mavericks.

The Golden State Warriors starting swingman Kelly Oubre Jr. has had an up and down year. After being brought to the Bay Area following All-Star shooting guard Klay Thompson’s Achilles injury, Oubre Jr. had a mountain of expectation thrust upon him.

To be frank, he wasn’t able to live up to it initially. Starting the season, Oubre Jr. had some of the worst shooting stretches of his career. During the first four games of the 2020-21 season, he shot 26 percent from the field and 4.3 percent from three. Abysmal by any standards and certainly for the Warriors.

However, he was and has been, able to turn it around. As of the last month, Oubre Jr. is shooting 50.2 percent from the field, 43.0 percent from the three-point line, and averaged 20.1 points per game. These are the averages the Warriors had hoped for when first bringing Oubre Jr. to the team.

Yet, it may not be enough. The Warriors are currently battling to remain in the race for a playoff spot and if Oubre Jr.’s averages dip again it may be one of the reasons they don’t achieve it. Thus his name has begun to appear more frequently in trade speculation.

Even with this, Oubre Jr. has made it known what his intentions are for the rest of the season and what he wants to do.

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Oubre Jr.’s Speaks on His Warrior Future

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Recently, Oubre Jr. spoke with NBC Sports Bay Area’s Kerith Burke about what it’s been like to be a Warriors. In addition to it, he elaborated on what he wants his future to be and why he would love for it to be that way.

“I would love to stick around,” Oubre Jr. told NBC Sports. “I’m trying to make a home somewhere, grow in life. And I think [after] getting acclimated more and more here every day, this is a great place to do that. Everything happens for a reason in this life, and I’m here right now. I would love the opportunity to just play, and be comfortable here and continue to grow relationships with people in this organization.”

For Oubre Jr. the context of the situation makes sense. The Warriors could have easily decided to remove him from the starting lineup or look to move him to another team earlier in the year but they stuck by him and it’s beginning to pay off for them.

Oubre Jr. Says Warriors ‘Made The Best’ Out of This Season

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For a team to not give up on a player, especially with how many options Golden State has of late coming off the bench, it says a lot about the belief they have in him and the trust that he would regain his footing. Knowing that and believing that things would eventually get better, Oubre Jr. spoke to Burke about how he brings an energy that the Warriors have always had.

“It’s very me in a sense because like coach says a lot — this organization has thrived in chaos and made the best out of it.”

“An individual like myself — who’s also been balls to the wall, 100 miles an hour, a rager — always been able to make that work for myself. So to be able to be a part of this is something that’s great.

“I bring exactly what this organization has brought to the game from [prior] years.”

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