Nick Nurse Confident Kyle Lowry Will Have Major Impact on 76ers
Soon, the Philadelphia 76ers will welcome a seasoned veteran to their squad to help them make the final push through the regular season into the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
On Tuesday, the Sixers officially announced the acquisition of Kyle Lowry, who reached a buyout with the Charlotte Hornets over the weekend.
Not only does Lowry return home to Philadelphia, where he was born and raised, but he reunites with 76ers head coach Nick Nurse, who coached Lowry as a member of the Toronto Raptors for many years.
As somebody who watched and worked with Lowry closely, Nurse already knows what to expect from the former Raptors star. On Wednesday, ahead of the Sixers’ matchup against the Miami Heat, Nurse explained for those who don’t know.
“A lot of playoff experience,” Nurse told reporters, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. “He gives us another ball-handler, backup point guard, whatever, second point guard, whatever you wanna say with that, so we got some three-point shooting, obviously, and got some very good defensive knowledge. Especially, team defense and schematically and stuff like that.”
With ten seasons’ worth of playoff runs under his belt, Lowry has appeared in 130 playoff games, averaging 33 minutes on the court. Back in 2018-2019, Lowry and Nurse won an NBA Championship together on the Raptors.
This year, they hope to repeat that success with the 76ers. While Lowry’s at a different stage of his career at this point, Nurse is confident that the veteran’s competitive nature will shine bright in Philadelphia, overshadowing the narratives that leave doubt in Lowry’s ability to have an impact on the Sixers.
“Nobody competes like that guy,” Nurse claimed. “I haven’t had a player in my entire coaching career that competes like that guy, so that’s the highest compliment I can give him.”
As he works on getting back in game shape, Lowry remained away from the 76ers on Wednesday night as they faced his most recent former team. Sometime after the All-Star break, the Sixers will roll out the veteran guard and get him settled into a role as they embark on the remainder of the regular season.
