Advanced Stats and SWAG
A closer look at Oubre’s advanced statistics shows a similar story to the majority of his offensive and defensive growth over last year’s time with the Phoenix Suns.
His VORP (Value Over Replacement Player) has jumped from 0.2 to 0.8 this season. You see similar growth in his win shares per 48 minutes, increasing to 0.106 from 0.54 (granted league average is 0.100).
The most shocking advanced stat is his increase in his offensive win share and defensive win share numbers. Offensively, he went from 0.5 last year to 1.9 this year and defensively from 0.8 to 1.9 for a total win share number of 3.8.
That’s a large increase from last year’s 1.3 win share. The 3.8 win share is second on the team behind Devin Bookers 5.5 and his 1.9 defensive number is the best on the team.
Swagger is tough to define and falls strictly to the eye test. Few players have the flair of Kelly Oubre Jr. in the NBA. He’s a fan favorite and by all indications, a great locker room guy who loves his teammates. After this week’s trade deadline where the Suns were rumored to be taking calls for him, he told reporters:
https://twitter.com/ginamizell/status/1226022986433458177?s=20
His flexing after dunks, on-court push-ups, and 3-point celebratory kisses seem to help the team kick into a higher gear. Successful teams generally have guys to rally behind and Kelly is that for the Phoenix Suns.