Warriors: Kelly Oubre admits he wasn’t ready for big contract pressure in Golden State

Golden State Warriors guard Kelly Oubre wasn’t ready for the bright lights of Golden State.

Oubre has adjusted nicely over the last month or so, becoming the shooter and sidekick to Steph Curry that the Warriors knew he could be at the guard position. Last year with the Suns, Oubre developed into a solid scorer. Yet, in his first 21 games with the Warriors, Oubre struggled to reach those heights, shooting just 38 percent from the field and 21 percent from three.

He’s since improved to a 20 points-per-game mark over the last 14 contests. Oubre admitted that he put too much pressure on himself due to the salary constraints his deal placed on the Warriors. Once he was able to move forward and focus on basketball, his play improved immensely.

“When I got out of my head and I just put my focus and my energy into my craft and everything that was most important to me in my life, I think that’s when I knew I turned the corner,” Oubre told The Athletic’s Marcus Thompson.

Kelly Oubre is just one piece to the puzzle in Golden State

The Warriors are far from a finished product, especially without Klay Thompson. This season isn’t necessarily an afterthought, but valuable for development purposes, especially for some of Golden State’s young talent.

Oubre and James Wiseman are both key members of the Warriors core moving forward, for better or worse. Both are new to this experience, and getting a season under their belt in Steve Kerr’s system is pretty vital.

Oubre’s name could be mentioned in trade rumors in the coming weeks ahead of the deadline, but if the 25-year-old can take anything for this experience, it’s to not let that impact his play.

Whatever he’s doing — it’s working.