The Philadelphia 76ers have a huge decision to make off the bench

The long-awaited NBA season is finally upon us. The Philadelphia 76ers will open their campaign against their same foremost opponent last season, the Milwaukee Bucks. This time around, Philadelphia will host Giannis Antetokounmpo and company.

Head coach Nick Nurse has a retooled roster to work with and the noticeable depth that this team features has many fans wondering just how it’s all going to play out. Perhaps none of these question marks is greater than the one surrounding the backup point guard position.

The 76ers have to make a bold decision off the bench

In the off-season, the 76ers were able to retain Kyle Lowry and signed 13-year NBA veteran Reggie Jackson. Although he started in the majority of his appearances with the 76ers last season, the 38-year-old Lowry appears to be heading for a role off the bench, at least to begin the 2024-25 campaign. Alongside Maxey, George, and Embiid, Kelly Oubre Jr., and Caleb Martin appear to be heading for roles in the starting lineup.

The 76ers have bench depth at the guard positions that includes Eric Gordon, Jared McCain, and Ricky Council IV to go along with the aforementioned Lowry and Jackson. Undoubtedly, each of these players will have their moments to earn consistent minutes throughout the long 82-game regular season. But between Lowry and Jackson, who gets the nod over the other?

The 34-year-old Jackson is coming off of a 2023-24 season with the Denver Nuggets in which he played in all 82 regular season games. Jackson averaged 10.2 points and 3.8 assists while shooting 36 percent from 3-point territory on 3.5 attempts per game. 

Kyle Lowry played in 60 games last season between his time in Miami and Philadelphia. In his 23 regular season appearances with the 76ers, Lowry averaged eight points and 4.6 assists per game while knocking down 40 percent of his 3-point attempts. 

While they are both veteran guards with a wealth of playoff experience, they each bring unique skill sets to this 76ers team. With that said, Nick Nurse may use Jackson and Lowry situationally depending on in-game circumstances. Jackson and Lowry are both viable options for playing the backup point guard role. At this point in time, it is uncertain as to who may receive more playing time, if there is any advantage in one way or another.

Additionally, Nurse can feel comfortable inserting either player into the starting lineup should an injury or a need for rest present itself. As Lowry proved last season, he is capable of playing alongside Tyrese Maxey as well. Again, it is a long season and the 76ers having the luxury of two veteran point guards that can provide stability off the bench is a great position to be in heading into the start of a new season.