Kyle Lowry is the most important player on the Toronto Raptors

Lowry is an elite player

The Raptors opened the season 11-1, but have struggled lately. The team lost three of their last four. One of the main reasons is Lowry. During this time, he has shot 17.4 percent and has only made four of the 23 threes he attempted.

In order for the Raptors to be a legitimate title contender, Lowry has to play better. A little over a week ago Lowry was being talked about as a potential dark horse MVP candidate. Through 11 games, Lowry averaged 17.9 points, 11.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.5 steals, while shooting 40.8 percent from three-point range.

Lowry is leading the league in assists at 10.4 per game. Despite teams scoring more points than ever, Lowry is the only player averaging double-digit assists. Lowry’s mark so far this season is three assists more than his previous career high. He is also fourth in the league in assist percentage, trailing only Russell Westbrook, Trae Young and Chris Paul (among players averaging at least 19 minutes per game).

Lowry is thriving in the Raptors new offensive system. He is fourth in the league in offensive rating, among players who are averaging at least 16 minutes per game. The three players ahead of his are Curry, Tony Snell and Lowry’s backcourt mate, Danny Green.

In addition to his improvement as a facilitator, Lowry has turned himself into an elite three-point shooter. Over the last three seasons, Lowry has shot 39.9 percent from long distance. He has attempted more than seven 3s per game. So far this season, Lowry is attempting 6.2 3s per game. His percentage has dropped a little bit as of late. As mentioned, Lowry is struggling with his shot. But he is still connecting on 34 percent of his shots from long distance.

Teams are taking more threes than ever and the Raptors are no exception. The Raptors are ninth in the league at 33.4 per game. This season, 18 teams are attempting more than 30 threes per game, as per NBA.com. During the 2014-15 Season, only one team attempted more than 30 threes, the Houston Rockets.

Lowry is leading the charge for the Raptors. He leads the team in attempts. Early in Lowry’s career he was a poor, low volume three-point shooter. Over the last three years, 52.6 percent of Lowry’s shots have been from long-distance. This season 53.3 percent of Lowry’s attempts are from downtown.

Not only does Lowry have the volume. He has become one of the best shooters in the NBA. Over the last three seasons, Lowry has made 643 threes. Only six players have hit more threes during this period of time (Curry, Klay Thompson, James Harden, Damian Lillard, Kemba Walker, and Paul George).

Not slowing down yet

There has been some discussion that the Raptors should hand over the reins to Fred VanVleet. But in order for the team to be a legitimate contender, the Raptors need Lowry. The team has reduced his workload. He is playing fewer minutes and spending more time playing off the ball. Lowry has done an amazing job reinventing himself throughout his career.

Lowry has shown a commitment a taking care of his body. He needs to continue this trend in order to avoid a drop off in his mid to late 30s. Lowry should use Steve Nash as an example. Nash was always very cautious about what he put into body. He followed a vigorous training regime and played at an elite level longer than most small point guards.

Lowry has the ability to follow that pattern. His game is not dependent on athleticism the same as players like Russell Westbrook or John Wall. Lowry is a great shooter and a very good defender. His game is predicated more on intellect and positioning than athleticism.

Shooting is a skill that doesn’t just go away. Jason Kidd was known as “Ason” early in his career because he didn’t have a jump shot. However, he became a strong shooter and was a key contributor to the 2011 Dallas Mavericks Championship team. Lowry is already ahead of the curve.

Lowry is a strong individual defender. He is also one of the best in the league at taking charges. So far this season, Lowry is leading the league again with 10 charges drawn.

Lowry is the longest tenured player on the Raptors, along with Jonas Valanciunas. If he continues to play at a high level, Lowry should be with the team long-term. The Raptors need Lowry to help get them to the Promised Land. And if everything breaks right this season, Lowry will be there to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy in June.

Stats were provided by NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com