Sports Illustrated ranks 4 Toronto Raptors in top 100, did they get it right?
Kyle Lowry – Ranked 28th
Ranked immediately below him: Donovan Mitchell, Luka Doncic, DeMar DeRozan
Ranked immediately above him: Khris Middleton, Mike Conley, Jrue Holiday
Kyle Lowry, forever overlooked by the casual fan, seemingly gets the proper amount of respect in these rankings.
Behind him, both Mitchell and Doncic have the ability to pass Lowry, although projecting that in a list would be a gutsy move. Lowry’s been a much more efficient player than either throughout his career, and his place above both feels appropriate.
With all due respect, DeMar doesn’t belong in this conversation. However, that’s more a product of his ranking being too high than it is on Lowry’s position.
The players immediately above him all make sense as well.
At this point in their careers, Mike Conley has surpassed Lowry as a player, even if it’s not by a wide margin. He’ll deny it until Lowry is off the roster, but the rumors of Masai Ujiri trying to upgrade Lowry for Conley last trade deadline probably are true.
Jrue Holiday is one of the best defensive guards in the NBA, scored more than 20 points per game last season, and posted a higher effective field goal percentage than Lowry. While Lowry is a better playmaker and is a better spacer off the ball, Holiday brings more to the table.
I would rank Lowry ahead of Khris Middleton, but if you’re complaining over one spot, the ranking is essentially perfect.