Kelly Oubre, Jr. of the Sixers: “I fell in love with the game of basketball here”

What a difference a year makes.

Last summer, Kelly Oubre Jr. was forced to accept a minimum contract with the Sixers because the veteran winger didn’t find the market he had hoped for. Just over a week ago, in the early hours of the start of free agency, he agreed to terms with the team on a two-year, $16.3 million deal.

After a strong 2023-24 season with the Sixers, were there more offers? Of course. But Oubre has decided to return and build on his success.

“Well, there were definitely options on the table,” Oubre said Tuesday via Zoom from the Sixers’ training facility, “options that are closer to what I want to accomplish. But at the end of the day, man, it’s just about situations, it’s just about fit, it’s just about the people I work with and work for.”

Oubre will likely fit into an extremely talented starting group. The headliners will be Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and new addition Paul George, but Oubre and Caleb Martin will help make this unit formidable. Plus, new additions like Andre Drummond and Eric Gordon will provide depth.

While many have talked about the Sixers’ new “Big 3” and how they compare to other teams in the league, Oubre looks at the team more holistically.

“They’ve got big names and they’re All-Stars and stuff like that,” he said. “But I think we have something like a Big 12, a Big 15. I’m not doing a Big 3 because then you’re going to shut me out and I don’t like that. (Laughs.) But at the end of the day, they’re all great players and we all know what each of them has to offer. At the end of the day, it’s about how we all fit together. … The sky’s the limit, man.”

The Sixers still have a lot to do before they reach the Big 15. Ten of their players are either officially under contract or have reached an agreement.

Even though the team will have to make do with veteran minimum contracts for the most part the rest of the way, that doesn’t mean they can’t find more talent. And they found Oubre.

And he rewarded the organization by bringing what Daryl Morey described as a “breath of fresh air.” It was almost jarring to see a player with Oubre’s outstanding athleticism play for the Sixers. That’s the type of player that always seemed to elude management during the Embiid era.

Oubre plays with reckless abandon, goes to the basket with ferocity, sticks his nose in the defensive end to fight through the blocks, and storms the boards at full speed. Although he was never a consistent three-point shooter, there were signs of improvement. He finished the regular season shooting well, then hit 39.1% of his threes in six postseason games.

“I would say confidence and shot selection. Those are two of the most important things for me,” Oubre said. “Just making the right shots and not just one because I think every shot I make is going in. I’m sure all people think that way, but that’s obviously not how it works. …

“I know I can shoot the ball. I’ve struggled with shoulder issues over the last few years. Minor issues, but they affected my jump shot and things like that in practice. But now I feel 100 percent healthy and ready to go to work and shoot baskets.”

Oubre was the Sixers’ fourth-leading scorer in the regular season and third-leading scorer in the playoffs. His lightning-quick first step and fearlessness in driving to the basket took the pressure off Embiid and Maxey at times. Both All-Stars also took a liking to him in the locker room.

Oubre often praised head coach Nick Nurse last season and did so again on Tuesday. After moving around the league so much, it’s clear that Oubre valued his relationship with Nurse and the feel the Sixers gave him as a franchise.

After the Sixers lost Game 6 to the Knicks, Oubre said he just wanted to go somewhere where he was “loved.” That seems to be the case in Philly.

“A great organization,” Oubre said. “An organization that cares about the players, cares about winning, cares about the city. It all comes down to the love of the game at the core. It’s the city of brotherly love. It’s a city that loves sports and basketball, and the fans alone are what made me fall in love with it.”

Now Oubre is back and he is excited to see what comes next.

“I want to… I don’t want to say I want to finish what I started, because I don’t plan on being finished,” he said. “This is a step toward my goal — signing a longer-term contract — but this was the place where I felt comfortable, safe and happy. And I fell in love with the game of basketball here, so why would I go anywhere else?”