March 27, 2026, 3:40 p.m. ET

The Philadelphia 76ers will begin a 3-game road trip on Saturday when they take on the Charlotte Hornets, and they may have some reinforcements joining them on the floor.

Kelly Oubre Jr., who has not played since March 10 due to a left elbow sprain, appears that he will return against the Hornets. The 11-year veteran out of Kansas is having a terrific season averaging 14.7 points and 4.8 rebounds while shooting 36.1% from deep. He has been helpful in a number of areas, and the Sixers would like to have him back out on the floor.

“It’s felt really good,” Oubre told reporters of his elbow. “A lot of this thing that I’ve been dealing with has just been inflammation and pain management, and I told the training staff, once I can move my elbow, once I’m able to dribble the ball, shoot the ball, kind of do what I can without any discomfort, I want to play basketball. So, I feel ready to play basketball tomorrow.”

So, does this mean Oubre is going to return on Saturday?

“So, I don’t know if I’m breaking news or not, but I don’t care,” Oubre added. “Yeah, I’m playing basketball tomorrow, so I’m excited. We got a good thing going here, and I’m just trying to help push this momentum forward into the postseason.”

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For coach Nick Nurse, this means adding another important piece back into the fold. Oubre is a hugely important factor for Philadelphia and his return is a big factor for the Sixers down the stretch.

“I mean, we’re pretty sure he’s going to be cleared to go for tomorrow, and then obviously we’ll get him in there,” Nurse stated. “Not quite sure what that looks like as of right now, but he’s been out for a while, so we’ll probably try to, again, same thing always. Get him back in there, get some condition and get some rhythm, and see how it goes.”

Oubre is a big contributor in a number of areas for the Sixers and his presence would give them a huge lift. He isn’t just a scorer. He is somebody who can put the ball on the floor, rebound, provide toughness, and is a very good defender.

“A big lift,” Quentin Grimes added of Oubre. “Just toughness, rebounding, scoring. I mean, he brings a lot of energy to the game, a lot of passion that we need that’ll help us for the late playoff push. So he’s gonna be a big addition, for sure, coming back.”