Kelly Oubre Jr. got to up against the team that drafted him during the Warriors’ devastating 118-114 loss to the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night.
Even without the win, Oubre was playing in his old home arena and was able to experience that in front of fans at Capitol One Arena.
“It felt amazing,” Oubre said after the game. “It was very humbling. This is where I started. It really taught me a lot -- how to be a pro, how to be somebody who gets better each and every year. Everybody’s still here. Most of everybody’s still here -- everybody on the staff, on the bench.”
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In his new role coming off the Warriors' bench, Oubre scored a team-high 24 points and grabbed nine rebounds against his former team.
Oubre, who was the No 15 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, played with the Wizards from 2015 through 2018 before he was traded with Austin Rivers to the Phoenix Suns for Trevor Ariza.
Oubre primarily came off the bench and during his stint in Washington, he averaged 8.2 points and 3.5 rebounds in 252 games. He didn’t reach his potential, during his time there, but weirdly enough, prior to the 2015 draft, Oubre was compared to Ariza.
Oubre was acquired by the Warriors in November from the Oklahoma City Thunder for two draft picks. He's finally coming into his own now with Golden State.
Golden State Warriors
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Oubre is a few years removed from his Washington tenure, but he's happy for his former squad.
"It’s a beautiful thing to see,” Oubre said. “Proud of [Bradley Beal], proud of coach [Scott Brooks] for never putting his head down and always just continuously improving his style.”