Kyle Lowry accepting Sixers’ ‘elder statesman’ role during a frustrating season: ‘It’s not about me’

Kyle Lowry returned to a familiar wardrobe for Monday’s 76ers practice.

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 general manager of the G League’s Delaware Blue Coats. Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” appropriately played over the facility’s speakers.

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’ Super Bowl 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 Nick Nurse, the veteran guard’s hip problem had flared up again and kept him out of the team session.

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 who starred for the Toronto Raptors, the Sixers’ opponent Tuesday. And although 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 in the twilight of his career — and the amended responsibilities that “elder statesman” status requires.

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“It’s given me a perspective of watching the growth [of teammates],” Lowry recently told The Inquirer at 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 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 fourth-oldest active player, behind Taj Gibson (39) future Hall of Famers Chris Paul (39) and LeBron James (40). During Sunday’s loss at Milwaukee, Lowry moved into 19th place on the league’s all-time list in career assists (7,096). He is averaging 4.0 points and 2.8 assists in 33 games, after signing a veteran’s 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.

Lowry said it was a playful trolling of star teammate Tyrese Maxey, who has jokingly called Lowry “Coach Kyle” throughout this season. And even while sidelined for 20 of the Sixers’ 53 games, 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 against the Indiana Pacers, Lowry immediately pulled rookie Adem Bona aside to discuss the intricacies of screening and helped unlock the big man for a 5-of-5 night from the floor that included three dunks. 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 said. “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 Joel Embiid and Paul George. 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.

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“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 [watching Maxey].”

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.

“When you get hurt, you need to take your time,” Lowry said.

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 worked together in Toronto during the guard’s prime. Ideally, that meant between 15-20 off-the-bench minutes. Though Nurse has continued to commend Lowry’s ability to organize personnel into their offensive and defensive schemes, he’s shooting 35.1% from the floor — including a dreadful 15.9% mark from three-point range in 21 games from Nov. 6 through Jan. 28.

Navigating it all has required deep trust between player and coach, stemming from a relationship developed over more than a decade.

“He just can’t do it for as long,” Nurse said of Lowry in November. “He just can’t. I never used to take him out, but he also was scoring 20 points a night and taking three charges. [As] with all of us, he’s slowed down a little bit when we get older.”

Added Lowry on his rapport with Nurse: “We go to bat together every time, no matter what it is. I know what he’s thinking. I know how to challenge him. I know what information I can feed to him. He knows how to push me. He knows when to throw a jab at me and push me and tell me what I can do better.”

Lowry finally established some rhythm last month, when he and fellow veteran Reggie Jackson (who has since been traded) manned the reserve backcourt and shared some lineups with Maxey. Following one of Lowry’s better performances of the season — when he finished with 13 points, eight assists, and five rebounds and played the final 17 minutes in a win over the Sacramento Kings on Jan. 29 — Maxey playfully responded with, “Wow, that’s impressive” and added that he was “proud” of Lowry, even if that felt like a strange word to apply to “someone that’s ancient.”

“Even if he’s not playing, he’s been coaching guys up,” Maxey said. “He’s been here early. He’s showing guys how to be professional and winners, and that’s what we need right now.”

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Added Ricky Council IV: “Some people may question why [Lowry is] on the floor at times. When he’s on the court with us, the game just becomes so much easier. Defense. Offense. Everything. … I see why he’s Kyle Lowry, Hall of Famer.”

When asked after that Sacramento game if he knows when his body has a little extra juice, Lowry candidly responded with, “No, I’ll see how I feel tomorrow, when I wake up at 12 o’clock.” That was 12 days ago, and the hip has already flared up again.

So it is worth wondering how much of the Sixers’ final 30 games will include point guard Lowry on the floor and “Coach Lowry” on the bench. His goal is to maximize both roles, as much as his 38-year-old body — and mind full of experiences — will allow.

“If we get to the playoffs, I can give you way more. That’s what I’m all about,” Lowry said. “But for right now, I have an opportunity to be around these guys. They keep me young. They keep me happy. They keep me engaged.”