Since taking a rough fall on a dunk attempt against the Washington Wizards, Kelly Oubre Jr. has missed nine of the last 14 games with a wrist injury. Following an initial five-game absence, Oubre Jr. was able to return to the Golden State Warriors rotation.
Oubre Jr. thrived in a new role with the second unit, averaging 17 points on 43.9% shooting from the field with 5.4 rebounds in 29.1 minutes per contest off the bench. However, the Golden State wing returned to the sideline with the same lingering wrist injury after five games off the bench. The Golden State wing has now missed another four consecutive games.
During Golden State’s recent road trip, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported Oubre Jr. suffered a torn ligament in his wrist and a fracture on his palm. Oubre Jr. was slated to be re-evaluated when the Warriors returned to the Bay Area.
On Thursday, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported Oubre Jr.’s wrist injury wouldn’t require surgery, but he is expected to miss another 1-2 weeks.
Via @ChrisBHaynes on Twitter:
Golden State Warriors swingman Kelly Oubre Jr. will not require surgery on his ailing left wrist and is expected to be sidelined 1-2 weeks, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) May 6, 2021
On Thursday, the Warriors will open their final homestand of the season with six straight games at Chase Center to close the regular season. Golden State’s last game on the schedule is set for a little over a week from Thursday. If Oubre Jr. can return to Golden State’s lineup, there’s a chance he could suit back up if the Warriors make a run into the postseason.
Without Oubre Jr., the Warriors will continue to start Kent Bazemore alongside Steph Curry in Golden State’s backcourt. In his last 12 starts, the veteran reserve guard is averaging 10.3 points on 42.9% shooting from the field with 5.7 rebounds, two assists and 1.7 steals in 28.9 minutes per contest.
With Damion Lee (health and safety protocol) and Eric Paschall (hip) also remaining out, the Warriors will have to lean on Jordan Poole, Juan Toscano-Anderson and Mychal Mulder off the bench during the stretch run to the postseason.
