Kyle Lowry
The history of the Toronto Raptors should be split into two different eras: life before the arrival of Kyle Lowry and life from the moment he stepped foot in Toronto. That was the turning point in the Raptors’ success.
Before Lowry, the Raptors’ success was modest and the point guards before him were solid, but no one really held a light to Lowry and his impact. Damon Stoudamire was the first-ever draft pick for the Toronto Raptors are impressed in his short time in the North, while Jose Calderon was always consistent – and an incredible human – but Lowry is in a different stratosphere.
There is no other option for the starting point guard position for this decade or any decade for that matter. Only Calderon and Fred VanVleet come close even remotely close to usurping Lowry from the starting spot, but it’s not happening.
He’s the engine behind the Toronto Raptors sustained period of success and is still finding ways to impress us in his age-33 season. Lowry has put his body on the line for the Raptors every time he steps onto the court, he controls the tempo like no one else and he’s still a potent scorer.
While his performances in the postseason have been subject to harsh criticism, Lowry was a leading figure in the Raptors’ first-ever NBA championship and put forward a memorable performance in Game 6 of the NBA Finals – the title-clinching game.
Lowry has averaged 17.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, 7.1 assists, and 1.5 steals per game during his Raptors career with a 57-percent true shooting percentage. He should be the unanimous choice for the starting point guard spot. Just think, imagine how things could have turned out if he was traded to the New York Knicks.
One thing is for sure: the Toronto Raptors would not have won a title without Lowry.