This is the most important season in the history of the Toronto Raptors. But, the Raptors will only go as far as Kyle Lowry can take them.
Kawhi Leonard is the best player on the Toronto Raptors. Through 12 games, he is averaging 24.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.8 steals. He looks like a legitimate MVP candidate. However, Kyle Lowry is just as essential to the team’s success.
Over the past six seasons, Lowry has become the heart and soul of the Raptors. Lowry was born in Philadelphia. He was a five-star recruit coming out of Cardinal Dougherty High School. Lowry decided to stay close to home for college. He enrolled at Villanova University. Lowry spent two seasons as a member of the Wildcats before declaring for the NBA draft.
On June 28, 2006, the Memphis Grizzlies selected Lowry with the 24th overall pick. Lowry only played 10 games as a rookie. He broke his left wrist in November during a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers and missed the rest of the season. Lowry averaged 5.6 points, 3.2 assists and 3.1 rebounds in 17.5 minutes of action.
Lowry’s stay in Memphis was short. The following year the Grizzlies drafted Mike Conley fourth overall. In 2009, Lionel Hollins was named the team’s new head coach. Hollins informed Lowry that the team was committed to Conley. In February 2009, Lowry was traded to the Houston Rockets.
The trade to Houston was a low point in Lowry’s career. Rocket’s GM, Daryl Morey is one of the best at finding undervalued assets. He was able to acquire Lowry in exchange for Rafer Alston.
Lowry spent four seasons with the Rockets but struggled with consistency. In 2011, Kevin McHale replaced Rick Adelman as the team’s head coach. Lowry played well during the 2011-12 season but missed 35 games due to a bacterial infection. During his absence, Goran Dragic emerged, and again it appeared Lowry was expendable.
Point guard has been a weak spot for the Toronto Raptors since Damon Stoudamire left town. There were the dark days when the Raptors were led by Mike James. He was quickly replaced by T.J. Ford.
Ford also didn’t last very long. He was injured in 2007 and replaced in the starting lineup by Jose Calderon. Ford was dealt in the offseason, and the keys to the offense were handed over to Calderon. This continued until 2012.
Entering the 2012 offseason, Steve Nash was set to become a free agent. The Raptors had their sights set on the former two-time MVP. Nash is the most talented Canadian basketball player of all-time. He was an eight-time All-Star. In 2012, Nash was 38 years old, but still playing at a high level.
Ultimately, Nash elected to sign a three-year, $36 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. The Raptors quickly moved on to Plan B. On July 11, 2012, the Raptors traded a future first-round pick and Gary Forbes for Kyle Lowry.
The summer of 2012 was a turning point for Lowry and the Raptors
Before coming to Toronto, Lowry had only been a full-time starter for one season. His best season came with the Houston Rockets, where Lowry averaged 14.3 points, 6.6 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game. Lowry had a poor reputation around the league. He clashed with Lionel Hollins in Memphis and Kevin McHale in Houston.
Even though the Raptors were high on Lowry, he wasn’t handed anything. Calderon started 30 games during Lowry’s first season. However, on January 30, 2013, Calderon was shipped out as part of the Rudy Gay trade. At last, Lowry would be given the opportunity to prove that he could run an NBA team.
Masai Ujiri took over the Raptors in the summer of 2013. Initially, it seemed like Ujiri would start a full-scale rebuild. Lowry was 27 years old and in the final year of his contract. He didn’t fit the timeline of a rebuild. Ujiri had an agreement in principal to send Lowry to the New York Knicks. The deal was ultimately vetoed by Knicks’ owner James Dolan.
Instead of trading Lowry, Ujiri challenged him. Ujiri asked him:
“Do you want to be a $3 million player, $2 million player for the rest of your career and became a minimum player or do you want to be a $10 million player or more?” Ujiri told him that “talent says you are that type of player, but the attitude and the way you carry yourself says the other. You can be so much better.”
After the trade fell through, it was almost as if Lowry was reborn. He averaged career highs in points (17.9), assists (7.4) and rebounds (4.7). Lowry started all 79 games he played that season. Lowry also began to show potential as a long-range shooter. He shot 38 percent from distance on 6.3 attempts per game.
Even though Lowry led the Raptors to their first playoff appearance since 2007, there was hesitation when it came to resigning him in the offseason. The Raptors lost to the Nets in the first round of the playoffs. Did the team really want to commit to Lowry long-term?
Lowry turned down offers from the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers. Lowry and the Raptors came to terms on a four-year, $48 million contract. Given the salary cap spike over the last couple of seasons, Lowry’s contract might seem like a bargain. However, the cap was only $63.1 million during the 2014-15 Season. Lowry received more than Steph Curry who had previously signed a four-year, $44 million deal.
Improvement after his first big-time deal
Even though Lowry finally had financial security and the commitment of a team, he wasn’t done. A month before Lowry’s 29th birthday, he was selected to his first All-Star team. Despite Lowry’s individual success, the team again struggled to advance in the playoffs. This time, the Raptors were swept by the Wizards in the first round.
During the summer of 2015, a new Lowry emerged. Lowry went through rigorous workouts at Villanova and then Impact Basketball in Las Vegas. He lost 15 pounds and reduced his body fat to 4.3 percent. On August 5, 2015, Kyle O’Quinn posted the first picture of ‘Skinny Kyle Lowry’ to his Instagram page and the internet exploded.
Lowry had struggled during the series against the Wizards. He averaged only 12.3 points per game and shot a terrible 21.7 percent from three-point range. Lowry hoped that his body transformation would allow him to play at a high level deep into the playoffs.
The 2015-16 Season was Lowry’s best. He averaged 22.4 points, 6.4 assists, and 4.7 rebounds while shooting 38.8 percent from downtown. He was named an All-Star for the second consecutive year. Lowry was also named to the All-NBA Third Team.
This season, Lowry’s individual success aligned with team success. The Raptors won 56 games during the regular season. They also advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history.
In the summer of 2017, Lowry was again set to be a free agent. Lowry was coming off three All-Star appearances. The Raptors as a team had made the playoffs four seasons in a row. However, again there was hesitation as to whether the team should commit to Lowry long-term.
Small point guards tend to experience a drop off after 30. Lowry was 31 years old. Committing to him long-term could come back to haunt the franchise. In the end, both sides compromised. Lowry took fewer years in exchange for a higher annual salary. He signed a three-year, $100 million deal.
Lowry expressed his love for the city of Toronto with his article “Home” on The Players Tribune. He wrote that the city is the best in the world. He said that the Raptors can be a championship-level team, sooner than later. And Lowry also wrote that if you start something, you need to finish it.
This looks like the year that the Raptors might finally be able to finish it. The Golden State Warriors are a juggernaut, but they may be vulnerable. There is a lot of tension surrounding the team with Kevin Durant’s impending free agency. Draymond Green was recently suspended for conduct detrimental to the team. Now that LeBron James has taken his talents to Los Angeles, this may be the year that the Raptors can break through.
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