It’s a little hard to believe, but Miami Heat point guard Kyle Lowry is already 36 years old. Because of his reputation as a spirited player in his early professional years, he commands so much respect from his peers today. This is especially true after he won the 2019 NBA Championship with the Toronto Raptors after years of disappointment in the playoffs.
Now Lowry is giving back to the young guns in the league, particularly Dallas Mavericks guard Josh Green, who was the 18th pick of the 2020 NBA draft. According to Callie CaplanReporters for Dallas News, Lowry and Green worked together on their games during the offseason, and Lowry summed up in four words what the 21-year-old needs to do to advance in his career.
“Man, just slow down,” Lowry said to Green.
Josh Green did a little of everything during practice today and credited Miami Heat’s Kyle Lowry.
They lifted, played 1-on-1, scrimmed, did Pilates together every day in Las Vegas this summer.
Lowry’s advice: “Gosh, slow down.” No more “hot potato” with the ball.
— Callie Caplan (@CallieCaplan) 09/30/2022
One of the most difficult aspects of the NBA game to get used to as a young player is the speed of the game. It took Kyle Lowry several years to figure out how to get the most out of his abilities. The 24th pick in the 2006 draft, Lowry failed early in his career to establish a consistent starting role with the Memphis Grizzlies and Houston Rockets.
Lowry started figuring it out in the 2013-14 season when he and DeMar DeRozan were leading the Raptors into the postseason. Since then, Lowry has won six All-Star selections and has become one of the NBA’s most powerful floor generals. Until then, the Mavericks pursued Lowry on a free hand just for him to sign in the heat.
Mavs wanted Lowry freehand. Instead, they apparently got his valuable mentorship for free. https://t.co/3A2QXJiPi9
— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) 09/30/2022
The 6’5 Arizona guard could certainly develop into a solid role player if he makes big strides in shooting.
Green doesn’t often fly it from the deep (32/103 for his career in 106 games), but he’ll have to do it soon, especially if he were to play alongside Luka Doncic, who needs all the distance he can get to go operate his best.
But it’s not as if Josh Green hasn’t shown the player he could become at his peak. In Game 3 of the Mavericks’ first-round series against the Utah Jazz last season, Green acted as a small-ball five, able to act on the short roll and dribble handoff while making three points of his own, if it stayed open. He lost 12 points (on three triples) and six assists in almost 19 minutes of play.
If the athletic 6’5 guard could take Kyle Lowry’s advice, perhaps he could deliver feats like this on a more consistent basis.
