76ers 3 Thoughts: Oubre Jr. Finds His Rhythm, Key Deadlines Approaching and More

The Philadelphia 76ers broke out of a mini-slump with a dominant 139-122 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday. Jared McCain, who has been in the midst of an underwhelming sophomore season, used the blowout win as a get-right game. Kelly Oubre Jr., who had a quiet performance against Milwaukee, is back to playing at a high level after returning from a knee injury. The latest edition of “76ers 3 Thoughts” delves into Oubre’s recent stretch of strong play, the reasons for hope in a McCain turnaround and more.

Oubre Jr. Puts Together Best Stretch Since Returning From Injury

The injury bug hit multiple members of the Sixers roster this season, including Oubre. The versatile forward missed about seven weeks with an MCL sprain in his left knee. Prior to the injury in mid-December, Oubre was in the midst of another strong season for the Sixers. Upon his return in early January, it took a few games for Oubre to get back into rhythm.

Oubre turned the corner on Jan. 16 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, his sixth game back from injury. The veteran forward scored 12 points while shooting 4-of-7 from the field. His performance against Cleveland was enough for him to earn back his spot in the starting lineup.

Upon re-entering the starting five, Oubre never looked back. Over his last six games, Oubre averaged 17.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.5 steals while shooting 54.9% from the field and 46.4% from 3-point range. This recent stretch showcased the many ways Oubre is capable of impacting the game. He was an offensive menace, scoring 26 points on 10-of-14 shooting in an overtime win against the Houston Rockets.

My other reel tonight goes to Kelly Oubre Jr. in what was one of his best games as a Sixer, truly. Just absolutely all over the court and contributing everywhere.

26 PTS (10-14 FG, 4-5 3PT), 4 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK

Here are some of the highlights from Oubre’s night! ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/4dNw8SgcEp

— Erin Grugan (@eringrugan) January 23, 2026

In the following game against the New York Knicks, Oubre made an impact through his defense and rebounding. He finished with 14 points, seven rebounds and two steals in the loss to the Knicks. Oubre’s versatility and willingness to make hustle plays results in him being a highly valuable part of the Sixers’ rotation.

McCain’s Performance Over Past Two Games Ignites Hope for Sophomore Turnaround

The Sixers were in the midst of their worst game of the season, a blowout loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Monday afternoon. With the game long out of hand, head coach Nick Nurse gave McCain the entirety of the fourth quarter to break out of his sophomore slump. McCain took advantage of the garbage time opportunity, scoring 12 points while shooting 4-of-6 from 3-point range.

One day later, McCain was given another opportunity for additional minutes due to Quentin Grimes’ absence from the lineup with an ankle sprain. He took advantage, scoring 17 points while shooting 5-of-6 from beyond the arc in the win over the Milwaukee Bucks. Twelve of his 17 points came in the fourth quarter as McCain poured in one 3-pointer after another to help put the game away.

HELLO, Jared McCain 🤩

17 points, 5/6 from deep, and 6/8 from the floor off the bench! pic.twitter.com/MRVVdCtczL

— NBA (@NBA) January 28, 2026

McCain’s second season has thus far not gone according to plan. He has struggled to generate any consistent positive impact when out on the floor. The 21-year old, going into the loss to Charlotte, had seen his minutes nearly entirely evaporate. However, McCain kept putting in the work and now the results are starting to show. Seeing McCain’s success against Milwaukee caused a discernible boost in energy and excitement throughout the rest of the Sixers’ roster.

“I couldn’t ask for better teammates. They’ve been there for me when I was down, and when I’m up, they cheer for me as loud as possible, and I’m just grateful to have them,” McCain said after the win over Milwaukee, via Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice. “… Those are the moments where you’re just grateful to be out there and see your team be that excited for you. That’s all you want as a player making shots: you want your team to be excited for you. So when I looked over at the bench and they were all jumping up and down, it was a fun time.”

Getting McCain back to playing at a high level would bring a massive boost to the Sixers’ second unit. Between McCain’s struggles and Grimes’ inconsistent play, Philadelphia has been forced to put more of the load on Tyrese Maxey and V.J. Edgecombe. The duo is averaging 39.1 and 35.6 minutes per game respectively. Getting consistent production from McCain should allow Nurse to begin lowering the minutes of his starting backcourt. Seeing some shots start to fall over the last two games could prove to be the falling of small stones that starts the avalanche that will turn McCain’s season around.

Sixers Approach Key Two-Way Player Deadline

The NBA trade deadline is quickly approaching, but there is also another key deadline drawing near for the Sixers. The NBA has multiple limits around players on two-way contracts. One of those includes each two-way player being limited to being on a team’s active list for at most 50 games before they either get released or converted to a standard contract.

For Jabari Walker, that limit is fast approaching. According to Spotrac, Walker has been active for 46 games this season. Keeping Walker active through each of their upcoming games would take them through their Feb. 3 contest against the Golden State Warriors before he hits his 50-game limit. At that point, the Sixers would have until the start of their next contest, a 10 p.m. matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 5, to either convert his contract to a standard deal or release him from the roster.

In addition to Walker, the Sixers also have Dominick Barlow playing on a two-way contract. Barlow missed some time earlier this season with an elbow laceration and has only been active for 36 games. The 22-year old made an impression with the Sixers, averaging 7.9 points and 4.9 rebounds while playing 23.6 minutes per contest.

The Sixers will have a decision to make regarding the futures of both Walker and Barlow. According to NBA insider Marc Stein, “barring some unforeseen change” the Sixers are expected to convert both of their contracts to standard deals. Philadelphia would have to make some associated moves to open up a pair of roster spots before converting Walker and Barlow’s contracts. How the Sixers go about doing that will shine a light on their strategy going into the trade deadline.

According to Bryan Toporek of On SI, converting Walker and Barlow’s contracts would add a minimum of $1.43 million to the Sixers’ cap sheet. If the organization makes it a priority, as they have over the past few seasons, to avoid the luxury tax, they would have to make corresponding moves to duck the tax. The Sixers would sit $8.55 million over the tax line if they converted Walker and Barlow’s deals. Shedding that much salary would involve trading either Grimes or Oubre and another small salary. Both of those options would definitively result in hurting the Sixers’ ability to compete this season. By the time the trade deadline comes around, the Sixers’ priorities, between maximizing their roster or avoiding the luxury tax at all costs, will become clear.