Sixers roles for Kyle Lowry and Buddy Hield, life without Joel Embiid, and more post-All-Star storylines to track

Nick Nurse spent the All-Star break on a family staycation, doing “all things Philly.”

The 76ers’ coach went to his first game at the Palestra, for Penn’s loss to Brown. He visited the Liberty Bell, and attended the circus making its stop at the Wells Fargo Center. He had a cheesesteak at an undisclosed location.

By Wednesday, though, Nurse and the Sixers were back at practice to prepare for an intriguing stretch run to the regular season. They enter Wednesday in fifth place in the Eastern Conference with a 32-22 record — which is a half-game back of Thursday’s opponent, the New York Knicks, but also only 2½ games ahead of play-in territory.

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

Though the Sixers lost nine out of 12 games heading into the break — which coincided with reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid’s knee surgery, along with a host of other health issues that depleted the roster — Nurse and multiple players felt they had gained some positive momentum after acquiring Buddy Hield and Cameron Payne at the trade deadline. Kyle Lowry, the veteran guard and Philly native, also has joined the mix off the buyout market. And they should begin replenishing their talent and depth in the coming days, with Tobias Harris, Nico Batum, and De’Anthony Melton all participating in Wednesday’s practice after missing notable time this month.

Here are five storylines to watch during the regular season’s stretch run:

Though when exactly Embiid returns — and how in shape and effective he is — is the most important storyline for the Sixers’ overall outlook for the rest of the season, it is not the most immediately pressing priority. Embiid is scheduled to be reevaluated the first week of March, which does not mean that is when he will return to game action or even to basketball activities.

Until then, carving out an identity without Embiid remains the Sixers’ more important initial task.

» READ MORE: Inside Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey’s family affair at All-Star Weekend: ‘They deserve this as much as I do’

The imminent return of Harris, Batum, and/or Melton should provide a significant boost. Yet this is when Nurse’s tactical creativity and experimentation must unfold. And when point guard Tyrese Maxey, fresh off his first All-Star appearance, must find consistency as an offensive anchor by broadening his shot diversity and countering the variety of defensive schemes opponents will unleash at him.

And though Nurse acknowledges the Sixers must initially run a more limited offensive package so those newcomers are not overloaded, the coach is also pleased with the improved ballhandling and outside shooting added with Lowry, Hield, and Payne.

“There’s so many new guys, we have to see how it plays out a little bit,” Nurse said. “But I think the basis of how we will play will show itself out over the next two or three weeks.”

Lowry officially began working out with the Sixers this week after last playing for the Miami Heat on Jan. 21. He was dealt to the Charlotte Hornets about a week later, then bought out following the trade deadline.

His role with the Sixers — primarily as the backup point guard while Maxey rests — will be different than the majority of his career highlighted by six All-Star appearances. Though the 37-year-old’s scoring numbers are down this season, he was still shooting 38.5% on 4.4 three-point attempts per game and adding 3.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game for the Heat. His championship experience, fierce competitiveness, and history with Nurse during their tenures with the Toronto Raptors are also valuable.

“My job is to make sure that Tyrese gets better [and] this team gets to a point where they haven’t been in a while,” Lowry said following Wednesday’s practice. “… My job is to do everything I can do to make this team and this organization better.

“No matter what the role is, the minutes are, what the situation is, my role is to be a professional.”

That familiarity with Nurse has already been apparent this week. The coach said Wednesday that Lowry was “probably ahead of everybody else” who is new to the roster — even those who have already played games since joining the Sixers — because of the philosophies that are similar to Nurse’s in Toronto.

Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey argued that Hield was the most prominent player moved at the trade deadline, and the veteran guard has made an immediate impact.

Hield has averaged 22.5 points on 52.3% shooting from the floor and 45% from beyond the arc in his first four games. More surprisingly, he has averaged 7.5 assists per game, helping take some of the scoring and playmaking pressure off new backcourt mate Maxey.

The sample size is small, of course. But it will be interesting to monitor how Hield’s role evolves over time. Eventually, Nurse hopes Hield can be a floor-spacer once Embiid returns.

According to Tankathon, the Sixers had the NBA’s ninth-toughest remaining schedule entering Wednesday, based on opponents’ winning percentage.

But they have a brutal stretch out of the gate, starting with a home back-to-back against the Knicks and second-place Cleveland Cavaliers. Then they play a Sunday afternoon home matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks (and former coach Doc Rivers) before a road date with the East-leading Boston Celtics on Tuesday.

» READ MORE: Shaquille O’Neal believes the Sixers are ‘done’ following Joel Embiid’s knee injury

March is the Sixers’ most road-heavy month of the season, with 11 of 17 games away from home. That includes two consecutive games against the Knicks on March 10 and 12, before another matchup against the Bucks on the 14th. They also have their final West trip, to Phoenix, the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers, and Sacramento Kings. Then, after one home game against the Clippers on March 27, they travel to face the Cavaliers and Raptors.

Surviving this stretch might be required to stay out of the play-in tournament.

Lowry joining the Sixers was an open secret of sorts.

Yet Morey was tepid when asked following the trade deadline if he would use one of the Sixers’ two remaining open roster spots — which were created by sending out Marcus Morris Sr., Patrick Beverley, Jaden Springer, Danuel House Jr., and Furkan Korkmaz on Feb. 8 — to add another reserve big man. Bismack Biyombo and onetime Sixer Thaddeus Young have already been signed by the Oklahoma City Thunder and Phoenix Suns, respectively.

Instead, Morey floated the potential that at least one spot could go to a younger player. That makes it worth wondering if Ricky Council IV, an undrafted two-way rookie who has impressed in recent playing time, or Darius Bazley, a former first-round draft pick who was just signed to a 10-day contract out of the G League’s Delaware Blue Coats, could be contenders to earn a standard deal for the rest of the season.