Kelly Oubre does not need to start for the Phoenix Suns
By Kyle Manthe
After a strong start to his Phoenix Suns career, Kelly Oubre Jr. is beginning to deserve a larger role. This does not mean that Oubre has to start though.
The Phoenix Suns have recently seemed to be on a roller coaster.
From great comebacks to Devin Booker injuries and big blowouts, there has not been a lot of inconsistency.
One player who has shown up in a big way over the past two weeks though is Kelly Oubre Jr.
Especially for a bad team like the Suns, it would seem smart to have your five best players on the court together for as long as possible, which should include Oubre.
However, with the way the lineup is constructed, especially with Booker back, Oubre is more needed off the bench.
He, along with Josh Jackson and Richaun Holmes, set the tone off the bench with their constant effort and hustle. Even without a capable point guard or go to scorer it is important to have someone like Oubre who is gifted enough to create for himself and score, something that would be limited by playing with starters.
If the Suns do decide to start Oubre, it would make a whole lot more sense for him to replace T.J. Warren because of Warren’s questionable fit next to Booker and Deandre Ayton. Taking Warren out of the lineup right now is something I am sure most Suns fans would be opposed to, and would be unfair to Warren given his breakout season.
Therefore from a scheme and fit perspective you are kind of stuck unless the Suns revert back to point Book.
This is not to say that Oubre shouldn’t get more playing time after his recent successes, because he absolutely should start playing more.
The problem is just that the Phoenix Suns are so deprived of quality playmakers and true scorers that they need to stagger the minutes of the few that they have.
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In the future as all the young guys develop and other quality players are (hopefully) added, Oubre could – and maybe even should – slide into the starting lineup at the 3 or 4.
With the Suns as thin as they are though, having a bench that can at times be dominant and spearhead large comebacks is not something that you want to risk messing up.
This is why at this time Oubre should get a larger role while continuing to come off the bench for the Phoenix Suns.