There's no replacing Klay Thompson. From a pure skills standpoint, he's the best all-around player at his position in the NBA. And that doesn't come close to scratching the surface of his importance to the Warriors.
And yet, in attempting to fill the gigantic void created by Thompson's absence, Golden State acquired someone who can bring a lot of the same things to the table, albeit maybe not to as exceptional of a degree.
"I bring energy. I bring defense. I bring consistency with my energy," Kelly Oubre told KRON-TV's Jason Dumas. "I look forward to just proving each and every person who has doubts about my game that you can't put me in a box. I continuously get better each and every year, and it's something that I take pride in, in being the best basketball player all around that I can potentially be.
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SIGN UP HERE "I'm one of the last few two-way players to be able to play great defense and great offense, so I look forward to taking on this challenge of being a defensive lockdown player and an offensive threat. And my 3-point percentage is always going up, as well. So, just looking forward to that."
Oubre has increased his scoring average every season of his career thus far, culminating with 18.7 points per game with the Phoenix Suns last season. To replicate Thompson's production, he'll have to keep that trend going.
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Additionally, Oubre surely will be tasked with assuming a large portion of Thompson's defensive responsibilities. Thompson frequently was tasked with defending the opposition's best backcourt player, a result of his defensive proficiency and a desire to keep Steph Curry fresh. Whether or not Oubre will be used in the same way remains to be seen, but he certainly sounds like he's willing to do whatever is asked of him.
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"Honestly, man, I bring a lot of fire to the court, a lot of energy," Oubre told The Athletic's David Aldridge. "They have a lot of weapons, of course, but I’m also a weapon, on offense and defense. I feel I can kind of bring that flux of just lucid, position-less basketball back to the organization. I can guard one through five. I can play one, two, three, four, stretch four if I need to. I just want to fit in seamlessly and just be the best me I can be, and that’s a two-way player."
Losing Thompson to a torn Achilles was a blow that the Warriors will feel throughout the entirety of his absence. But if Oubre can provide his best Thompson impression, it will soften it significantly.