Lowry homecoming came at the right time
Kyle Lowry calls his homecoming with the 76ers an opportunity to play for “a great team.”
“Play with some great players and help Tyrese Maxey get better and help Joel Embiid to continue to be as dominant as he has been,” the North Philly native said. “For me, it was an opportunity to — playing at home is one thing you always want to do, but then you never want to do it. And you get the opportunity to do it, and take advantage of it. You want to do it. So it’s an exciting time.”
The point guard practiced with the Sixers (32-22) on Tuesday and Wednesday after signing a $2.8 million contract for the rest of the season on Feb. 13. This marks the former Cardinal Dougherty High and Villanova standout’s second go-round with Sixers coach Nick Nurse.
Lowry was Nurse’s standout point guard on the Toronto Raptors’ 2019 NBA championship team.
“Again, he is familiar with a lot of stuff that we do because of our history,” Nurse said. “So it’s good. He’s obviously a leader, a vocal leader. [You] notice that presence already in the last two practices. A lot of guys, Buddy [Hield], Cam [Payne], [Darius] Bazley and Kyle’s first practices. Even though Buddy and Cam played a couple of games, [Tuesday] was their first practice.”
“So we went over a lot of introductory stuff. Kyle was probably ahead of everybody else because of his familiarity.”
The Sixers acquired Hield and Payne on Feb. 8 in trades from the Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks, respectively. Meanwhile, Bazley signed a 10-day contract on Tuesday.
The team also welcomed back injured starters Tobias Harris (left hip impingement), Nico Batum (strained left hamstring), and De’Anthony Melton (spine). The trio practiced without restrictions Wednesday.
Harris is expected to play in Thursday’s game against the New York Knicks at the Wells Fargo Center. Nurse said Batum “is pretty likely” to play. The Sixers will have a better idea about Melton’s availability Thursday morning.
Lowry, who turned 38 on March 25, will be looked upon as a second point guard once everyone’s healthy. The six-time All-Star and 2016 Olympic gold medalist will also play alongside first-time All-Star Maxey, the starting point guard.
“I’m excited to be here,” Lowry said. “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.
“I’m gonna do everything I can to make this team and this organization better. No matter what the role is, what the minutes are, what the situation is, my job is to be a professional and help Tyrese get better, help this team get better, help coach get better, and help everybody get better. That’s my job.”
The Sixers are excited about Lowry’s leadership and hope he can help them reach the playoffs. He’s also expected to get players to buy into what Nurse is selling. The 18th-year veteran also possesses toughness the Sixers lost when Patrick Beverley and North Philly native Marcus Morris Sr. were traded away.
“I just go out there and be me,” Lowry said of his leadership style. “Sometimes you have to say things. Sometimes you do [it] by showing.
I just go out there and do my job as hard as I can, and try to show the competitive nature that I have. Just go out there and do what I’ve got to do. Sometimes it’s talk, sometimes it’s not.”
He’ll do it in front of people who have followed his career since high school.
Lowry began his high school career at Northeast High before transferring to Dougherty. He led the Cardinals to two consecutive trips to the Catholic League title game and was twice named a firstteam All-Catholic selection.
He went on to star at Villanova for two seasons before the Memphis Grizzlies selected him 24th in the 2006 NBA draft.
Lowry has averages of 14.4 points, 6.2 assists, and 2.3 turnovers in 1,115 career games and 866 starts with the Grizzlies, Houston Rockets, Raptors, and Miami Heat.