Kyle Lowry, a 19-year NBA veteran, is navigating a new phase in his career with the Philadelphia 76ers. While dealing with a hip injury, Lowry has embraced a more vocal and mentoring role, helping guide younger players and offering insights to the coaching staff. Despite limited playing time, Lowry remains a valuable asset to the team, providing leadership and experience.
The 19-year NBA veteran was averaging four points and 2.8 assists in 33 games entering Tuesday, but has been a vocal presence even while frequently sidelined with a hip issue. The veteran guard wore a kelly green Randall Cunningham jersey and matching sweatpants, along with a Noggin Boss oversized Eagles hat, while chatting with Jameer Nelson, the Chester native and former St. Joseph’s star who is now an assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers.
The scene represented the duality of Lowry’s current basketball life. The North Philly native is back in his hometown where, on the same Sunday, he could play for the Sixers in the afternoon and celebrate the Eagles’ win with fans who flooded the streets that night. But the reason Lowry was in Monday’s attire, rather than Sixers practice gear, was because, according to coach Doc Rivers, Lowry was dealing with a hip injury that has limited his availability. That injury is a significant component of a challenging 19th NBA season for Lowry. He has looked far more like a 38-year-old than the six-time All-Star and NBA champion while playing for the Toronto Raptors, the Sixers’ opponent Tuesday. And though Lowry acknowledged the personal frustrations that he “can’t really do things I want to do to help the team,” he also accepts he is now in the twilight of his career — and the amended responsibilities that “elder statesman” status requires. “It’s given me a perspective of watching the growth,” Lowry recently told The Inquirer from his locker. “ … It’s not about me all the time. I’ve always known that. Yeah, I had my stretch. I had my run.” Lowry credits that mindset to his overall career arc, during which he was “not given the keys,” he said, and had to earn his evolution from undersized late first-round draft pick, to bench player, to standout point guard. Now, he is the NBA’s third-oldest active player, behind bona fide future Hall of Famers Chris Paul (39 years old) and LeBron James (40). During Sunday’s loss at the Milwaukee Bucks, Lowry moved into 19th place on the league’s all-time list in career assists (7,096). He was averaging four points and 2.8 assists in 33 games entering Tuesday, after signing a veteran-minimum contract last summer. Yet the first hint of Lowry’s understanding of this new phase may have been another wardrobe choice, when he wore a “Coach Lowry” name tag on a sweatshirt during a Nov. 27 home game against the Houston Rockets, who has jokingly called Lowry “Coach Kyle” throughout this season. And even while sidelined for 19 of the Sixers’ 52 games entering Tuesday, Lowry has remained one of the most animated and talkative Sixers. He will sometimes sneak into coaches’ huddles at the beginning of timeouts, where Nurse coyly said Lowry “has some suggestions … we’re trying to improve his strike rate.” During a Jan. 18 game at the Indiana Pacers, Lowry immediately pulled rookie Adem Bona aside to discuss intricacies of screening, helping unlock the big man for a 5-of-5 night from the floor. Lowry got so boisterous following teammate Guerschon Yabusele’s thunderous and-one slam during a Dec. 30 win at the Portland Trail Blazers — while wearing street clothes from the bench — that he got whistled for a technical foul. And Lowry provided this teaching moment to rookie Justin Edwards, whose home locker is next to the veteran’s. “He asked me one day if I was tired,” Edwards recently recalled. “I told him yeah. He was like, ‘Don’t ever say that again.’ Now, if people ask me if I’m tired, I say no.” Maxey, meanwhile, said Lowry has helped him embrace the pressure — and break down the array of defensive coverages — that he has encountered throughout a disappointing 20-32 season marred by injuries to fellow stars. Lowry, in turn, said he recently chuckled to himself when Maxey created the space to bury a tough three-pointer during a 43-point outburst against the Los Angeles Lakers on Jan. 28. “I was like, ‘Damn,’” Lowry said. “I had to pause and say, ‘Man, I remember when it was that easy to get shots off and have the confidence to do that. But that’s the gratification I get .” Lowry is also recognizing that, while he is satisfied with the way he maintains his body, he “can’t run through everything” anymore. That comes from a player with a reputation as a physical irritant to opponents that, during the preseason, Nurse said a future statue in front of Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena should be of Lowry taking a charge. That means this hip ailment could lead to spotty availability for Lowry moving forward, Nurse said following Monday’s practice. The Sixers have brought in younger guard reinforcements in Quentin Grimes and Jared Butler, both acquired at last week’s trade deadline. Yet even before Lowry initially injured his hip in November, Nurse said he planned to shift the veteran into a “trimmed-down” role compared to when they both worked together in Toronto during the guard’s prime. Ideally, that meant between 15 and 20 off-the-bench minute
NBA Kyle Lowry Philadelphia 76Ers NBA Veteran Leadership Hip Injury Coaching Mentoring Toronto Raptors
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