In this new series, Sixers Wire looks at the 16 players, per Sportrac, that comprise the Philadelphia 76ers roster — 13 under standard contracts and the three players on two-way deals — and gives each three goals for the 2025-26 season. Of course, there is a certain restricted free agent that will be included as well.
The new season begins on Oct. 22, and training camp is right around the corner. Now is the time to begin previewing the new season of adventure that is Sixers basketball.
Up next in this series is veteran guard Kyle Lowry who is set to enter year No. 20 in the league. The Sixers re-signed Lowry to a 1-year deal in the offseason and one has to wonder if this will be his final season in the league as he begins to think about his future after basketball.
For Lowry, his three goals are as follows:
Be a mentor
This one comes easy to Lowry who is almost like a second coach for this group. He is an extension of Nick Nurse whenever he is on the floor, and even on the bench, he is barking orders and taking youngsters under his wing. That will undoubtedly continue in the upcoming season. One has to figure he won’t play much at this junction of his career, and he has to be able to do that to the best of his ability to make a contribution to this group.
Provide ball-handling on offense
When Lowry does get playing time, he has to provide steady ball-handling. Again, not anything new for him at this stage of his career, but still something he has to do. When he enters the game, the Sixers must be able to get into their sets quickly and continue to push the youngsters on this roster to push them in the right direction. When he is on the floor, the Sixers have to be able to find their spots and get into their sets in order to find some type of rhythm on the offensive end.
Be physical on defense
At this stage, Lowry is not the quickest player out there on defense. Therefore, he will have to be physical on that end of the floor. The veteran guard is as strong as an ox and he will have to use that to his advantage to make some type of impact on that end of the floor. He is a guy who can bother opposing ball-handlers and force some turnovers to push the break on the other end to get easy baskets.