Earlier this week, Miami Heat veteran Kyle Lowry made some headlines by saying that he expects to be the team’s starting point guard this season.
After learning of Lowry’s comments, head coach Erik Spoelstra declined to name a starter at the position, perhaps leaving the door open for someone else to win the job.
But Lowry isn’t backing down, with the 37-year-old making it clear on Friday that he does indeed expect to be in the starting lineup when the new season begins.
“I didn’t say I wanted, I said I expected to be,” Lowry said.
“As a player, I expect to be the starting point guard.”
Lowry is entering his third season with the Heat. He was a full-time starter during his first year with the team, but in the 2022-23 campaign, he came off the bench several times in the regular season and was a reserve for most of the Heat’s run to the NBA Finals.
The role change certainly helped Lowry from an efficiency standpoint. During 44 games as a starter during the regular season, he shot just 39.6 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from deep. During 11 games as a reserve, he was significantly better in that regard, shooting 46.6 percent from the field and 42.5 percent from 3-point range.
Furthermore, he hit 42.5 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from three-point range in the playoffs (when he came off the bench in 22 of his 23 appearances).
Although there have been rumors that Lowry might stay on the bench, it is difficult to overlook the reality that he expected to start.
The 2017 campaign will mark the conclusion of Lowry’s contract with the Heat. The alliance, which was established in the 2021–22 season, has been far from ideal, but in the 2023–24 season, the two parties will try to make the best of the current circumstances.