3 reasons to trade for Lowry: His fit
For this season, Lowry is averaging 18.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 7.1 assists, and 1.1 steals, while converting 37.5 of his 3-pointers. Those are some impressive stats, but that alone doesn’t explain why a player who is performing at an All-Star level would be a good fit on the Philadelphia 76ers.
When I wrote about Lowry’s fit in the past, I was very vague on the subject. Below was all I had to write on the subject.
"“He [Kyle Lowry] can also fit next to [Ben] Simmons and [Joel] Embiid seamlessly. He can play on or off the ball. He would also allow Simmons to play more of a Draymond Green role, which is the type of player he appears he’s going to become at this point in his career.”"
While that’s a good starting point, there’s so much more that could be said about his potential fit with this roster. For sake of argument, let’s just focus on his fit with Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid.
Starting with Simmons, Lowry will allow Simmons to do something that he really hasn’t done up to this point in his career, not be a point guard. Simmons wasn’t a point guard in college, he was only forced to be one because when he first started playing Markelle Fultz was injured and T.J. McConnell isn’t a starter in the NBA.
It’s clear more than ever this season that Simmons is a playmaking power forward versus a true NBA point guard. Getting one with the resume of Lowry would force Simmons to play off the ball and develop other areas of his offensive play.
On the flip side, Lowry has played with other players that need the ball in their hands like Kawhi Leonard and DeMar DeRozan, so playing alongside Simmons shouldn’t be too much of an adjustment for the point guard.
Let’s not forget Lowry’s fit next to Embiid. Lowry has played with low post scores before in Jonas Valanciunas and Gasol. Neither of those two big men are nearly as skilled as Embiid is and Lowry should only help the Sixers’ MVP candidate look even better. Lowry should be able to find Embiid in his spots, while also spacing the floor for the big man.
The veteran point guard clearly fits with the team’s young stars, which is why this trade should make sense from the 76ers perspective.