Oubre concluded the abbreviated five-game exhibition season with 67 points, only two fewer than team leader Bradley Beal. He also snatched a team-best eight steals and finished as the surprising second-place finisher in total rebounds (27, behind Otto Porter’s 28). Though Oubre had not always hit his mark in the previous four games, he scored 21 points during the 110-103 win over the New York Knicks, his best offensive output of the preseason.

“It’s just playing at my pace, I didn’t let anybody speed me up,” Oubre said about his 9-of-13 shooting performance. “Getting better, definitely have a lot of room for improvement but I’m just starting to find myself a little bit.”

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Such an admission from Oubre — who has no problem finding and expressing himself off the court — should serve as a reminder that he still has another huge step to take in his third season. Against the Knicks, Washington saw good moments (Oubre making five fourth quarter shots for 12 points) mixed with some bad (a turnover in the final 35 seconds of a close game). Oubre also picked up a technical foul in the second quarter by passively suggesting for official Mark Lindsay to get his vision checked out.

“I was like, ‘you didn’t see that? Okay, something must be wrong with your eyes,'” Oubre said, recalling the magic words that led to the whistle. “You can’t say that to a referee . . . it was all my fault though.”

And though Oubre looked comfortable with the jump shot that he reworked over the summer, Coach Scott Brooks thought his effort on the other end needed more attention.

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“His offense was good throughout the game,” Brooks said. “His defense, in the first half, was so-so but in the second half he locked in. Kelly needs to bring effort every night.”

Throughout last season, Brooks often repeated a similar message. The instruction seems a bit more pressing now with the Wizards opening the regular season without starter Markieff Morris, who has already highlighted Oubre as the one he expects to wear the big boy pants while he’s out.

“I think Kelly’s going to step up and be real big,” Morris previously said. “This is a great opportunity for him. I think he’s going to be the key to me not playing and him stepping in there.”

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Wizards click offensively

Judging by the preseason, the Wizards have remained as an elite offensive team even while trying to replace Morris in the starting lineup.

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Washington ranked in the top 10 in points per game (111.0) and field goal percentage (50.4) and finished 4-1 in exhibition games (including one matchup with the Guangzhou Long-Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association).

The Wizards just missed out on finishing within the top 10 in assists (24.4) but that was likely due to point guard John Wall playing in only three games. The core players broke just enough of a sweat, as Brooks used the preseason to dole out minutes to the bench.

Despite the starters’ limited time together on the court, the Wizards’ chemistry remained intact as Morris recovers from sports hernia surgery. Morris traveled with the team during the road trip to Miami and New York. On Friday night, he shot perimeter jumpers following the team’s morning shootaround and just before tip-off against the Knicks.

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“There are a lot of things we need to work on,” Beal said. “This preseason, we have shown that we are capable . . . of doing with the guys we have.”