How much will Kyle Lowry have left in the tank as a Sixer? And will it even matter?

Kyle Lowry is finally coming home.

In February 2021, the former Cardinal Dougherty High and Villanova star was the perfect fit for the 76ers. The same was said about the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Clippers.

At the time, Lowry was in the final season of his contract with the Toronto Raptors. The Sixers tried to make a move for the point guard before that season’s trade deadline, but they were unwilling to part with young assets.

That summer, the six-time All-Star agreed to a sign-and-trade deal to the Heat, where he teamed up with Jimmy Butler.

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But after being traded to the Charlotte Hornets on Jan. 23, Lowry was waived this weekend. And as expected, the 37-year-old will sign a $2.8 million contract with the Sixers for the remainder of the season.

However, there are questions. How much does the North Philly native, who turns 38 on March 25, have left in the tank? And does it even matter?

Lowry averaged 8.2 points, 4.0 assists, 1.1 steals and 28 minutes this season in Miami. He started in each of his first 35 appearances before being taken out of the starting lineup. In his two games off the bench before the trade, he shot a combined 2-for-13 while averaging 2.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.5 steals, and 24.8 minutes. Lowry averaged 3.1 points on 22.5% shooting — including 12.0% on three-pointers — along with 3.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.4 turnovers, and 24 minutes in his final seven games in Miami.

But his homecoming is more about leadership than talent.

If Lowry can make a play here or there, that will be a big help for the undermanned Sixers (31-21), who have lost eight of their last 10 games. We’ll find out how much more tread the 6-footer has left on his shoes. But he can definitely help players buy in to what Sixers coach Nick Nurse is selling.

Lowry was Nurse’s standout point guard on the Raptors’ 2019 NBA championship team.

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Their relationship has grown after Nurse was promoted to Raptors coach on June 13, 2018, following five seasons as an assistant. He was hired as the Sixers coach on July 1, replacing Doc Rivers.

“Nick was the [Raptors assistant coach] I shot with, worked out with,” Lowry told Toronto reporters on Aug, 3, 2022. “He was in the system when I first got here. So me and him had a great relationship prior to him even being the head coach. We always had this same type of mantra about winning … and trying to be innovative. Nick’s a friend of mine, and we got closer and closer. And as the years went on, we trusted each other more and more.”

This homecoming also reunites Lowry with Daryl Morey, the Sixers’ president of basketball operations.

As the Houston Rockets’ general manager, Morey acquired Lowry from the Memphis Grizzlies on Feb. 19, 2009, before trading him to the Raptors on July 11, 2012.

One could argue that leaving Houston was a blessing for Lowry’s legacy, as his game and career elevated in Toronto. While Vince Carter is regarded as the all-time best Raptors player, Lowry is the most decorated one.

His six All-Star appearances came during his Raptors tenure. So did his third-team All-NBA selection in 2016 and gold-medal win with USA Basketball in the 2016 Summer Olympics.

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All of those accomplishments will give him instant credibility in the Sixers’ locker room.

Plus, the Sixers need a guy like him. Lowry knows how to run a team. He’s a winner, a leader, and possesses a toughness the Sixers lost while trading away Patrick Beverley and another North Philly native, Marcus Morris Sr., on Thursday.

Lowry has also shown that he can coexist in the backcourt with another ballhandler when he played in Toronto with Fred VanVleet. So that bodes well for the 18th-year NBA veteran playing alongside and mentoring first-time All-Star Tyrese Maxey.

The hope is his leadership and the sharpshooting of new acquisition Buddy Hield can help keep the Sixers, who are fifth in the Eastern Conference, afloat until their key players are fully healthy. The team hopes that De’Anthony Melton (spine) and Nico Batum (strained left hamstring) can return this week. Meanwhile, Joel Embiid will be sidelined six to eight weeks after undergoing meniscus surgery in his left knee on Tuesday.

The Sixers hope adding Lowry to the mix with Embiid, Maxey, Hield, and Tobias Harris, will put them in great position to reemerge as contenders for an NBA title.