Despite an injury-plagued, tumultuous season, Kyle Lowry is hoping to stay with the Philadelphia 76ers for what would be his twentieth season in the NBA, even if it means playing less and mentoring more.
There were times this season that you might have forgotten that Kyle Lowry was on the Philadelphia 76ers roster.
Despite featuring in 25 of the Sixers’ first 33 games to start the season, Lowry’s campaign coming off the bench for Philadelphia became quickly derailed by injuries. On Feb. 9, his season essentially came to an end as a nagging right hip injury sidelined him for 28 of the Sixers’ last 30 contests.
(He ultimately did return to play in two meaningless games at the very end of the Sixers’ tank—I mean, regular season—but not much to write home about there.)
Lowry ended up playing just 35 games total, his lowest since his rookie season in which he played 10 games for the Memphis Grizzlies back in 2006-07. This season, he averaged just 3.9 points, shooting 35% from the floor with 1.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game—the lowest marks in each category he’s posted in his long NBA career.
Lowry also turned 39 years old last month, making him one of the oldest active players in the association just behind 40-year-old LeBron James and alongside other 39-year-olds such as Chris Paul, Al Horford and P.J. Tucker. Clearly, there’s a lot of variance regarding what’s left in the tank at this age from player to player.
From what we did get to see of Lowry on the floor this past season, it’s clear that age and injuries are catching up with the NBA champion and six-time All-Star. The limitations of his mobility and speed were huge liabilities on the defensive end of the ball, especially when it came to trying to defend guards off the dribble. It’s understandable to say the least, but Lowry simply can’t keep up with the young feet and athleticism on opposing offenses.
His lack of burst and agility unfortunately carries over to the offensive end as well, with the hinderance relegating Lowry basically to the perimeter. Lowry took just 12 two-point field goals across 659 minutes played this season, mostly because he simply doesn’t have the athleticism to drive into the arc nor create space or shots for himself at this point. Defenses know he doesn’t pose a mobile threat anymore and that the only defending needed against him is running him off the line when he gets his hands on the ball. The more unfortunate part is that Lowry is not high-volume enough of a three-point shooter to even make up for it. In 18.9 minutes per contest this season, Lowry attempted just 2.5 triples per outing.
So, all in all, not only did Lowry not play much throughout this season due to injuries, but he wasn’t exactly stellar even when he did get on the floor. Sounds harsh, I know, but it’s the reality.
Lowry did, however, find other ways to try to contribute to what was a brutal slog of a Sixers’ season by becoming “Coach Lowry” to the barrage of young players the squad relied on to finish out the campaign.
Even though he was unavailable to play for 47 contests across the season, you would be hard-pressed to find many instances where Lowry wasn’t on the bench, in street clothes, barking orders and giving advice and encouragement to his teammates. For weeks on end, knowing he wasn’t playing and likely knowing he wasn’t going to play much more the entire season, Lowry was there keeping what was left of the Sixers’ roster engaged in what they were doing on the floor. And his teammates noticed, just ask Quentin Grimes.
“[Lowry] was a vocal leader for us. Even the games when he wasn’t playing—at halftime, pregame, after games, during practice—he’s always teaching the younger guys, always helping me out,” Grimes said. “When I first got to the team, even during games in that time, he was telling me where I could attack, where I can make plays if they’re doubling me, where the roll man might be, so he was definitely kind of like a big brother figure out there.”
This season was a disaster for Philadelphia, we all know that. Any positives or development the players and squad overall can take from this lost campaign could be a huge mental boost going into the summer and eventually going into the next season.
“Just coaching me out there on the court, because he’s a 19-year vet, he’s seen it all,” Grimes said. “He got an NBA championship and everything like that. So he’s seen everything that’s in the NBA. He was just helping me out really the whole time. I definitely benefitted from him for sure.”
Lowry has been through it all before over nearly two full decades in the association, but he hasn’t forgotten being that young player on the floor just looking for guidance. Now, he wants to be that guidance for the next generation of players alongside him, even if it means being mocked for being the old man on the squad.
“The only thing is they call me ancient, so it’s the only problem I have with it,” Lowry said. “But that’s what I’m here for, man. As a competitor, of course I want to be on the floor, playing and competing. But as an elder statesman in the league you get enjoyment out of watching these kids grow because I was once in their shoes and I’ve been through the things that they’ve been through. Sometimes playing, sometimes not playing, sometimes getting big minutes and having great shooting games, then having terrible shooting games and just figuring how to ride the wave and stay consistent is what I get out of that—just trying to help them be consistent.”
And if you ask Lowry, he’d like to be back next season for what would be his 20th campaign in the NBA, even if it means he’s not a big part of the rotation.
“Being a part of this season showed you guys I want at least to go out winning … we all thought we’d be playing a little bit longer, and we thought we had a good team on paper, but you still got to put it down on the floor,” Lowry said. “So for me, it’s just about—I do want to play one more year at a level that I can compete and play as a team. Even if I’m not playing, I’m just here, or even if I am playing, but I still want to play one more year, and hopefully it’s here.”
Lowry will become an unrestricted free agent this offseason with the opportunity to go to any team in the association that offers him a deal, but he exited the 2024-25 season with an apparent preference to stay in his home city, with this organization and especially with one particular teammate.
“I have a great relationship with [Nick Nurse], of course, and I think the pride of being a Philadelphian and playing in Philadelphia, you want to figure out how to be a part of something different and special,” said Lowry, a North Philly native. “I think you guys all know how I feel about Tyrese Maxey, he’s the reason it’s been a blessing to be a part of this because he’s such a phenomenal kid and a phenomenal talent. But this organization deserves to be at the top of the top, and the city deserves it so I want to be a part of that. Hopefully I can.”
Lowry is, by all accounts, an absolute asset to a basketball team as a mentor and experienced veteran leader especially to the plethora of young players that saw playing time this season for the Sixers. That said, his health and limitations on the floor as he ages are dramatically evident, and it’s something that’s unlikely to turn around as Lowry enters his 40s.
What it comes down to is that it will be a tough ask and risky gamble for the Sixers to use one of just 15 standard contract slots on a player almost solely for mentoring and leadership. There’s immense value in those qualities, don’t get me wrong, especially for a team with young players that will benefit most from Lowry’s experience and advice. However, this is a Sixers squad that is no stranger to injuries to say the least, so locking up one of limited slots on the squad for Lowry to essentially be a player-coach (with heavy emphasis on the coach part) is a lot to ask.
In fact, it might just be a bit too much to ask.
PLAYER GRADE – D
BENCH COACH GRADE – A