CAMDEN, N.J. — Kyle Lowry is on his way out of the star phase of his NBA career. The tank hasn’t emptied yet, though, and the 37-year-old's next stop is with the Philadelphia 76ers. Whatever the six-time All-Star has left — at least for this season — he's going to give to his hometown squad.
For Lowry, the chance to represent Philly speaks for itself, just as it did for Marcus Morris Sr., who spent 37 games as a Sixer before being moved at the trade deadline. But, Lowry said, it's also a chance to “play with a great team, play with great players and help Tyrese Maxey get better and help Joel Embiid continue to be as dominant as he has been.”
Going home was not always what Lowry wanted for his NBA career, though. Playing for the 76ers brings a new type of daunting pressure. Now in his 18th season, Lowry believes he's ready to embrace playing for Philly.
“It wasn't a dream. You never want to really play at home because there's so much going on. It's a hard place to play when you go back home,” Lowry admitted. “But at the end of the day, it's a dream come true because I'm actually being able to play in front of my friends and family and people that I cheered growing up with as a Sixers fan. It’s one of those things where now, I'm prepared to do it.
“When you're younger, you're not really prepared to do it,” Lowry continued. “But at this point in my time in my career, I'm prepared to do it.”
Kyle Lowry excited to play for the Sixers
After joining the 76ers following a buyout from the Charlotte Hornets, who acquired him in a trade that sent Terry Rozier to the Miami Heat, Kyle Lowry seems likely to take the role of the backup point guard with the backcourt occupied by Maxey and Buddy Hield, Philadelphia's marquee midseason addition.
Lowry was asked about his leadership style but insisted that he doesn’t see leadership in that way. For him, it's about doing or saying what needs to be done to win. Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra recognized that Lowry's style of play and impact on his teams are conducive to success. The 76ers hope that, even in a lesser role, they can feel that impact, too.
“I'm excited to be here. I understand my role and my job. My job is to make sure that Tyrese gets better, this team gets to a point where they haven't been in a while. And that's my job,” Lowry said. “My job is to do everything I need to do to make this team and make this organization better no matter what the role is, what the minutes are, what the situation is.”
Signing with a playoff-caliber team after being bought out was an obvious move for Lowry but the options were not plentiful. New CBA rules prevented cream-of-the-crop teams like the Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets from signing players like Lowry, whose contracts are worth more than the $12.4 mid-level exception. Philly still affords him a chance to make a playoff run, even with Joel Embiid still working his way back from a meniscus injury.
“I mean, I think we still got talent,” Lowry said. “You know, you got an All-Star in Tyrese Maxey. You got a guy in Tobias Harris who is very skilled, very talented. You got a bunch of other guys who just want to be good and play hard. You got guys who are Swiss Army knives on defense — they're athletic, they can do a lot of things. So it's just about finding the rhythm in a group with each other and playing hard.”
Nick Nurse said that Lowry was already up to a decent speed with the 76ers' game plans thanks to the eight years they spent together with the Toronto Raptors.
“He's good,” Nurse said. “He's obviously a leader, vocal leader. We noticed that presence already in the last two practices.”
Lowry said that his relationship with Nurse has grown over time. He arrived in Toronto as an assistant coach in Lowry's second season north of the border. From the time Lowry developed into a franchise cornerstone to the years Nurse spent as the head coach, which covered the last three seasons Lowry was a Raptor, the two intense competitors have countless hours of experience working side by side. “We kind of grew day by day, year by year,” Lowry said.
The familiarity they have with one another will make it easier to incorporate Lowry on the fly. More than ever, his basketball intelligence and ability to execute Nurse's game plans will be critical. Those headline traits of his have been works in progress all throughout his basketball career. Across the various places he played, Lowry always brought his knack for being studious and eager to learn.
The veteran point guard said that he looks to take lessons from each of his coaches throughout his career, explaining that he observes “how they coach, how they communicate, how they strategically prepare for games.” Big-time coaches such as Nurse, Spoelstra, Jay Wright, Rick Adelman and Dwane Casey have helped Lowry become the player he is today. As his physical abilities fade, his mental edge — both his intellect and relentlessly competitive mindset — becomes the primary vehicle through which he can impact the game.
The 76ers are relying on Kyle Lowry to be a key player for them in their latest attempt to make a deep playoff run. The pressure of coming back home, once seen as an inhibition, is now the icing on the cake for what will be the fifth NBA team he suits up for.
“Playing at home is one of the things you always want to do but then you never want to do it but then you get the opportunity to do it and you take advantage of it and you want to do it,” he said. “So, it's an exciting time.”
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