There's a big role for Kelly Oubre Jr. on the Sixers, and he's embracing it

Professional locker rooms and clubhouses are always filled with different types of personalities. Some are big, commanding the attention of the room. Others prefer to keep to themselves, while many fall somewhere in between.

Kelly Oubre, Jr. defines cool. Smiles are immediately displayed when he enters before a game. He lets out a little screech to let teammates and media know he's arrived. He's introspective, outwardly funny, deeply appreciated. All at the same time. Cool.

That carries onto the basketball court, and it is proving to be a very good fit for coach Nick Nurse's team. Fully healed from an early-season injury and solidly planted into the starting lineup, Oubre knows his role with the team and is embracing it and conquering it.

Thursday's win over the visiting Miami Heat was a perfect example of his value to the team. When the bigger scorers were doing just that, he was defending and rebounding. When he was needed to score, he did just that. It was a game he let come to him. A game a few called a signature win. A game where Oubre Jr. shined without the spotlight.

During the 124-117 win, he collected 21 points, eight rebounds and three assists. He made eight of his 13 shots, including three of his five three-pointers. He was a plus 12 for the night, and knocked down a huge three with 1:52 to go in the game to give his team a four point lead. 

Basically, the perfect effort.

"If we can get Kelly making more than one three a night and also push him up around 20 (points), we're going to have a pretty good offensive night," said Nurse following the win. "And I would say it's probably one of our biggest pluses of the year, his three-point shooting. It looks great coming off his hands. It looks like it's going in every time he takes it. It just feels like he's improved that in technique and in work and confidence. That is huge for us to be able to go out there and hit them." 

His is an offensive game that relies both on slashing and shooting. He has that distinct advantage of being left-handed, which is still a troubling cover for NBA defenders. And his ability to draw contact around the rim often helps him overcome anything lacking in his offensive game. 

"He's been great," said Tyrese Maxey. "When he's knocking those threes down our team is special, I think. We need that. We need that spacing, we need those threes. It's not always about making them, it's about taking them and keeping the defense honest. For him to be able to take those, him, VJ (Edgecombe), Q (Quentin Grimes) and (Dominick) Barlow as well."

Oubre balanced his game perfectly on Thursday, scoring 11 big points in the second half. He is always active defensively and does a nice job on the constantly rotating defense that Nurse employs. When Paul George returns from his suspension with 10 games to play, Oubre will be perfectly set in his role, no matter what it may become at that time.

"W. I. N. That's all I want to do out here," Oubre Jr. said after the game Thursday. "I just want to go out there and play as hard as I possibly can and help my brothers and just win the game."

As for how he sees his role?

"Every night's different. I'm not forcing anything," he said. "If that comes in the flow of the game, I can get to that (scoring 20 points). If it's a scenario where I can be a decoy or just spotting up, I've got to make my shots. Tonight was a great testament to that. Things kind of got going in the second half for me. Just staying ready. We just keep each other honest and guys can see my body language when things aren't swinging my way. I lean on my teammates. But at the end of the day I'm capable. I'm here to win and I'm here to play team basketball."

While his night was very good and instrumental in the win, Oubre had to give a shoutout to his teammate, Maxey, who became the organization's all-time three-point maker. 

"A surreal moment," he said of Maxey getting the record in the first quarter. "It's not surprising. He puts in the work, he's confident. He's developing every year. I'm super proud of him and just blessed to be alongside him. It's just been evolving. When I came in, I don't know what year it was for him, obviously he was stepping into a different role. I think James (Harden) was going to a new team and it was his team, him and Joel (Embiid). I think it was a growing year for him and then last year it was complete adversity but he still weathered the storm. He still was vocal, he still was growing into that leadership role and this year it's just kind of taken off. I think he got one percent better every year and that's the motto we follow."

For his coach and teammates, that's cool.