Kelly Oubre Jr. and Caleb Martin’s three-point shooting isn’t 76ers’ only problem, but it might be the biggest

OK… injuries are the biggest. But the team’s starting wings have not been providing from deep so far.

One win in seven games comes from many different issues, but the Philadelphia 76ers need more from their starting wings. Caleb Martin and Kelly Oubre Jr. are shooting 20% and 30% from deep respectively. Unsurprisingly, the Sixers are near the bottom of the league in three-point accuracy.

Yes, they’ve been without Joel Embiid every game, and Paul George for all but the last two. They’re advantage creators. It’s not Martin or Oubre’s job to create shots. It’s to finish them. With Tyrese Maxey now out for a couple of weeks with a right hamstring injury, that job is much harder. But it must be done.

The Sixers are already staring up at the rest of the conference. But they’re not out of reach. These next few weeks will be crucial as the team looks to stay in the race for a playoff spot. The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics are the only Eastern teams above .500. Three wins separate the 15th-seed Sixers from the third-seed Indiana Pacers. Three wins.

Embiid’s impending return will be as big of a boost as possible. But he can’t win alone in this new era of league-wide talent and parity in the middle of the conferences. Martin and Oubre will have to help him.

Martin’s always had a streaky jump shot, but it hasn’t looked this bad in a while. He hasn’t hit two threes in a game all season. According to NBA shot tracking data, all his shots have been open (closest defender 4-6 ft away) or wide-open (no defender within 6 ft).

He’s not taking bad shots, they’ve all come within the flow of the offense. It does just seem like a cold streak, one that you hope ends soon and he gets hot to return to his career average of 35%. Early data tells us all his makes have come when he’s held the ball for less than two seconds. But that’s still only a 25% clip.

Defenses have been rightly sagging off him. He has to start hitting his threes or PG and Embiid’s offensive games will be nullified.

Oubre’s area for improvement is obvious. He’s shot 9.1% on pull-up threes this season. Nine percent. NINE. That number will hopefully improve but even then, he’s shot 31.5% and 30.6% on pull-up threes in the last two seasons. Getting threes up is important but these are the worst threes to take. On the season, he’s shooting a much better 37.9% on catch-and-shoot attempts.

Another criticism Oubre has faced his whole career is his decision-making. His three turnovers against Phoenix highlight the issue. All three came in the fourth quarter and were easily avoided.

For the first two, Jared McCain, who has built his basketball stock on three-point shooting, is wide-open beyond the line one pass away. But Oubre ignored him for a drive into two defenders and a telegraphed bounce pass to Andre Drummond. The third isn’t as bad, but it’s still a weak lob pass to a covered KJ Martin.

When you’re down a star, the team has to be greater than the sum. That is achieved by making simple passes and keeping the ball moving. In 2024, that ball should move to an open shooter, which Jared McCain is.

It would be a miraculous disaster if their three-point accuracy stayed this bad. Things will be easier when Embiid is back, but Martin and Oubre have to improve if the Sixers want to win and avoid what would be a miraculous disaster of a season.