Now that Taj Gibson is retired and taking up a job with the Chicago Bulls as an assistant coach, it has me wondering: When are the Philadelphia 76ers going to scoop up their next player-turned-coach?
More specifically, when are they going to get Kyle Lowry on the bench, assisting Nick Nurse with his coaching duties?
Get him while you can
This is, of course, assuming that Kyle Lowry hasn't already been approached by the Sixers for a coaching job.
The veteran guard just announced his retirement this summer, and his future is unclear. Will he take a TV analyst job? Is becoming an assistant (or head coach) on the table? Will Lowry just disappear from the game of basketball? The guard's exit is still fresh, so we can't say for sure.
But if the door is open for the Sixers to make a pitch, they should be on it. Over the past two years and some change, Lowry has been a valuable member of the locker room. His teammates have praised him for his presence and veteran leadership.
Best of all? He has built a strong relationship with veteran guard Tyrese Maxey and soon-to-be sophomore VJ Edgecombe. The fit for Lowry from a chemistry standpoint will be natural for the guys who are already in the building. Beyond that, it will be easy for Lowry to build relationships with incoming players due to his past experience.
What would Lowry bring to the table?
Experience! The guy played the game at the highest level for two decades. He's been with five organizations and has gone through three key levels of playing in the NBA.
At the start of his career, Lowry was a late first-round pick playing in a bench role. He didn't become a full-time starter until he reached his fifth season. He was nearly 10 years in before he reached his first All-Star Game. There was a six-year stretch of All-Star appearances before Lowry started going from a star player to finding an important, yet lesser role outside of Toronto.
By the time Lowry reached the 76ers, he entered the savvy veteran phase, before quickly getting a player-coach label. There isn't much that Lowry hasn't experienced in the NBA. That kind of knowledge in the game translates to respect from the players he would have to coach.
The Sixers had an excellent thing going when they employed Sam Cassell, who was critical to the rise of Tyrese Maxey. While Cassell took his services to Boston, perhaps Lowry could follow the same path as Gibson and land on one of his former team's coaching staff.
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