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Philadelphia 76ers v Charlotte Hornets

Source: Jared C. Tilton / Getty

 

The Hornets back-to-back the past two days against the Hawks in Atlanta and Philadelphia at home was a tough enough task as it is, but the Hornets’ COVID issues made it an even tougher stretch than it had to be. After four key players missed the game on Sunday night in Atlanta, Ish Smith, the team’s backup point who had to start the other night due to the scenario that the team is dealing with, was also placed in the NBA’s COVID protocol yesterday afternoon, leaving the Hornets even more short handed than they were the night before. That means the pressure was on some of the remaining players to step up and Kelly Oubre Jr. has answered that bell.

Oubre had another huge night on Monday, dropping 35 points on 13-24 shooting from the field overall and 6-13 shooting from behind the arc, continuing what has been an extremely successful seven-game stretch for him. In those seven games, Oubre has averaged 25.3 points per game, a team-high during that stretch and it has begun to generate the question as to whether or not he should be considered for a starting role.

Sam Farber stopped by the Mac Attack earlier this morning to talk about that possibility.

“Do I think Kelly Oubre is a starting caliber player? Absolutely I do. Do I think it should at the expense of a player who has brought as much to Charlotte basketball as Gordon Hayward? No, not really.”

-Sam Farber on the Mac Attack