Inside Sixers: Kyle Lowry’s impact, water slides and more from training camp in the Bahamas

NASSAU, Bahamas — “You want anything from Shake Shack?!” Tyrese Maxey hollered to Joel Embiid from across the ballroom-turned-gym.

Yes, the Caribbean’s first of the popular fast-casual restaurant exists on the Atlantis Paradise Island resort. And the 76ers stars — who unsurprisingly had lingered for additional on-court work — deserved the little treat following final training camp practice Saturday afternoon.

The Sixers’ collective mood was high and, per coach Nick Nurse, the execution was sharp during their week in the Bahamas. Though Nurse said he is still in the experimental and data-building phase of how to best utilize this revamped roster headlined by the addition of Paul George, the coach has been pleasantly surprised this group is “so far ahead” of last year’s in terms of situational scrimmage work.

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“We’re covering a lot,” Nurse said Saturday. “It just seems like way more than a year ago.”

Yes, this week was effectively talking season, with media day at the practice facility quickly transitioning to post-practice scrums with very little on-court work actually viewed by independent reporters. But even with the expectations (or pressure) surrounding this team, the vibes were a sharp contrast to the James Harden drama that hovered over last year’s workouts in Fort Collins, Colo.

That all leads into Monday’s preseason opener against the New Zealand Breakers. Before that, here are some final nuggets from training camp.

A significant reason for the sped-up process, Nurse concluded, was the presence of Kyle Lowry. The 38-year old point guard lauded for his tenacity, championship pedigree, and basketball IQ is getting a full camp with the Sixers, after joining off the buyout market in February last season.

“He’s a guy that adds a lot of wrinkles to things, a lot of counters to things,” Nurse said of Lowry, the North Philly native and former Villanova star. " … We’re putting in a basic [offensive] set, and while he’s down there, he’s putting in a couple more options. Things like that [are] coming in a couple weeks, but he can show the guys what it is and put them in and get it done.

“It’s been very, very noticeable here in the first few days.”

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Consider that an underrated aspect of how different this training cap felt compared to last year, when uncertainty (and drama) swirled about then-disgruntled Harden and Patrick Beverley was the backup point guard.

It’s unclear how much Lowry, who did not do a media session during camp, will play during the preseason. He averaged eight points and 4.6 assists and shot 40% from three-point range in 23 games with the Sixers last season. But his impact looks familiar to new Sixer Caleb Martin, who also played with Lowry in Miami.

“I can tell why they have a good relationship,” Martin said of Lowry and Nurse, who won a title together with the Toronto Raptors in 2019.

As rookie guard Jared McCain executed a drill with the ball in his hands, his feet did not land precisely at the same time on a jump stop. Perhaps he could get away with that slight “1-2″ shuffle at Duke. But not in the NBA.

“This ain’t college, bro,” Embiid told McCain.

Though it will not compare to the game experience coming for McCain and fellow rookie Adem Bona, this week was an opportunity to formally work with high-level NBA talent expected to contend for a championship. It’s an interesting spot for these two first-year players, who may not crack the regular rotation. Still, Nurse, Maxey, and Embiid were among those who called McCain one of camp’s standouts.

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In between those practice reps, McCain said he has observed veterans’ routines to take care of their bodies. Bona, meanwhile, has already established a special rapport with backup center Andre Drummond, whom the rookie now calls a “big brother.”

“On a random day, I was on my couch and I got a text [from Drummond],” Bona recalled this week. “It was like, ‘Show up in the gym in 30 minutes.’ I was like, ‘Oh, [shoot].’ I’m like, ‘Say no more. I’ll be right there.’”

“ … To me, that’s key, learning from people that have done it for years, and are still doing it this way at a high level.”

McCain and Bona also spent part of Thursday afternoon lined up on parallel water slides, before racing to the bottom (McCain won, per photographic evidence).

Those rookies, along with several staffers, carved out some rare post-practice leisure time at Aquaventure, which features multiple pools and slides along with a lazy river. McCain’s eyes widened when asked about the aptly named “Leap of Faith,” a 60-foot, near-vertical plunge through a clear tunnel surrounded by marine life, including sharks.

“That was insane,” McCain said. “That adrenaline rush is so fun. But that one might have been a little too much. Your back isn’t even against the water slide. You can’t see going down, but I love it.”

That was a particularly unique aspect of an away-from-home camp, an approach taken by about half of the NBA’s teams this year. It creates organic opportunities to bond off the court, including at a team dinner Thursday featuring a “special guest” that Nurse was asked to keep private.

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KJ Martin is known for his explosive athleticism and positional versatility. But the fifth-year pro is still working to sharpen his skills such as shooting and ballhandling. He shot 54.4% on 2.9 field-goal attempts per game last season, and has connected on 33.7% of his career three-pointers.

That’s why he hired an offseason shooting coach. The first few weeks, Martin said, he “didn’t leave the paint” while firing attempt after attempt. He studied film on the details of his form. His goal now is to push the ball more off his pointer and middle finger, instead of his middle and ring finger. He has also made an adjustment to his guide hand.

“That was the biggest thing, just having more control over the ball,” Martin said. “Now, if I miss it, I can kind of understand why it came off this way.”

To maintain some consistency, Martin expects that coach to visit a couple times per month during the season.

The largest media contingent arrived at Atlantis on Wednesday.

The local reporters were not necessarily hoping to talk to widely popular Embiid, Maxey or George. They were there for veteran shooter Eric Gordon, whose mother is from Nassau. He played for the Bahamian national team that fell just short of qualifying for the Olympics over the summer, and is also involved in basketball at the grassroots level in the country.

“When I first signed here, they told me about [training camp being in Nassau],” Gordon said. “And how can you not be happy enough to be here?”

Isaiah Mobley, who is with the Sixers on an Exhibit 10 contract, also was in training camp with the Bahamian national team this past summer. He is eligible to play for the country because of family ties.

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Nurse on rebounding: “It looks to be like it’s improving, but it’s kind of one of those things that you never really find out. You get an offensive rebound in a scrimmage against yourself, and you’re still mad because you gave up a defensive rebound.”

Maxey on balancing attacking the basket vs. facilitating from the paint: “I think the biggest thing for me is I changed my hair and I can see now. So if I got it in the paint [before], I was shooting. But now my hair’s not in my face, so I can see.”

Ricky Council lV on the two-way players in camp this year: “Some of them are ahead of where I was last year, so just got to keep working.”

Bona on being in camp with Embiid: “You have to learn from him. You have no excuse. You have no option.”

McCain on shooting at the NBA level: “Everyone is 6-foot-8 with a 7-foot wingspan. Everybody is just in the gaps, they easily can get back to you. I think I’ve been trying to extend my range.”