The Philadelphia 76ers were scouring the buyout marker for a potential impact player and they found one in a hometown hero. A Philadelphia native, Kyle Lowry was set to make his Sixers debut on Thursday against the New York Knicks. The Sixers are in a precarious situation with Joel Embiid sidelined due to injury. They're hoping Lowry can add some punch to help keep the team afloat. Lowry came off the bench in his debut and was welcomed by the crowd with a standing ovation.
Kyle Lowry was quick in getting his first bucket with the Sixers, scoring on a drive to the rim almost immediately upon checking into the game.
Before joining the Sixers, Lowry had been on the Charlotte Hornets roster following a trade that brought Terry Rozier to the Miami Heat. Lowry did not play at all for the Hornets as he was awaiting a contract buyout. Prior to that, Lowry had started in 35 of the 37 games he played in for the Heat.
Earlier this season, Lowry had been playing 28 minutes per game with the Heat. He was averaging 8.2 points per game, 3.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.1 steals with splits of 42.6 percent shooting from the field, 38.5 percent shooting from the three point line and 83.3 percent shooting from the free throw line.
The Sixers are hoping Lowry can provide some of that same solid production along with veteran leadership. Throughout his 18-year NBA career, Lowry has been a six-time All-Star and has also played for the Memphis Grizzlies, Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors.