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Will the Sixers keep struggling minus Joel Embiid? Kyle Lowry doesn’t think so.

The Sixers lineup is about to get a wave of starters back ahead of a brutal four-game stretch against the Eastern Conference's elite.

Kyle Lowry on the Sixers minus Joel Embiid “I think we’ve still got talent."
Kyle Lowry on the Sixers minus Joel Embiid “I think we’ve still got talent."Read moreJose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer

The belief is that the 76ers will continue to struggle while Joel Embiid remains sidelined.

Just don’t tell that to Kyle Lowry, who signed with the team last week.

“I think we’ve still got talent,” the six-time All-Star said. “You’ve got an All-Star in Tyrese Maxey. You’ve got a guy in Tobias Harris who is very skilled, very talented. And you’ve got a bunch of other guys who want to be good and play hard. You’ve got guys who are Swiss Army knives on defense; they’re athletic, they can do a lot of things. So it’s just about finding a rhythm and groove with each other and playing hard.”

» READ MORE: Kyle Lowry’s Philly rise said a lot about his NBA success. Just ask his Cardinal Dougherty teammates.

The Sixers (32-22) will learn more about their ability without Embiid over the next few days, as the star remains sidelined after surgery on the meniscus in his left knee. The team is 3-5 since the reigning MVP last played on Jan. 30 against the Golden State Warriors. They’re 6-14 overall without him this season.

The Sixers are in the process of welcoming back three other sidelined starters in Harris (left hip), Nico Batum (left hamstring), and De’Anthony Melton (spine). Harris was cleared to play Thursday against the New York Knicks (33-22). Batum is listed as questionable, while there’s a chance Melton could return Friday against the Cleveland Cavaliers (36-17). All three practiced with no restrictions on Wednesday.

The Eastern Conference’s fifth-place team is embarking on a tough post-All-Star-break stretch. After the Sixers play the fourth-place Knicks and second-place Cavs, they’ll entertain the third-place Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday before facing the first-place Boston Celtics at TD Garden on Tuesday.

“We should be back to four starters here quickly, playing,” coach Nick Nurse said. “We probably added a couple of guys that are [starters]. Buddy [Hield] has been a starter his whole career. Kyle is capable of starting. Kelly [Oubre Jr.] started a lot for us. So we’ll be able to shift some of that.

“So we should be able to have a little more depth, a little more solid bench. And we certainly have grown in the guard position a lot in the last few weeks.”

In addition to signing Lowry, the Sixers acquired reserve point guard Cam Payne and a second-round pick from the Milwaukee Bucks on Feb. 8 in exchange for Patrick Beverley. Hield, a shooting guard/small forward, was also acquired that day from the Indiana Pacers in a three-team trade that included the San Antonio Spurs.

» READ MORE: Kyle Lowry never dreamed of joining the Sixers, but his homecoming came at the right time: ‘I’m prepared’

But Maxey will remain the face of the Sixers backcourt. Lowry, in his 18th NBA season, is excited to help nurture the fourth-year point guard.

“I think he just has a great spirit,” he said of Maxey.” He has a great joy about himself. I think his talent, you don’t have to talk about his talent, but I just think his overall breadth, professionalism, his overall aura is good and he’s just one of those guys that is just always energized, always special.

“You don’t get a chance to be around many guys like that, and if I have the opportunity to help the kid continue to get better, you know, he’s a first-time All-Star. It’s a level you continue to be at and it’s a place you have to keep going and going.”

In the NBA again

Darius Bazley is excited to be back in the NBA regardless of how brief it may be.

The 6-foot-9 power forward signed a 10-day contract with the Sixers on Tuesday after spending most of the season with the Delaware Blue Coats. After practicing with the Sixers on Tuesday and Wednesday, Bazley was assigned to the Blue Coats for Thursday morning’s G League game against the Grand Rapids Gold in Delaware. He’s expected to be recalled by the Sixers following the game.

» READ MORE: Sixers roles for Kyle Lowry and Buddy Hield, and more post-All-Star storylines to track

The Utah Jazz selected him with pick No. 23 in the 2019 draft. He was quickly traded to the Memphis Grizzlies and then on to the Oklahoma City Thunder that summer. He averaged 9.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 228 career games (118 starts) over four NBA seasons with the Thunder and Phoenix Suns.

“We were in the locker room down with the Blue Coats talking about it,” Bazley said of learning this weekend about his 10-day contract. “So it was exciting. Those guys are excited for me. These guys [the Sixers] are excited for me. Overall, like I said, being back up at this level is really good.”