The Toronto Raptors have rolled their first two games back from the NBA pause and it is in great part because of the backcourt play from Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet.
The Toronto Raptors are 2-0 so far in the NBA bubble and have won against two championship contenders in the Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat. The Raptors team as a whole has played great basketball so far and looks like they haven’t missed a beat after the close to 5-month pause.
Pascal Siakam is looking solid and OG Anunoby is looking like a defensive cornerstone of this team while also dropping 23 points in game 1, but no Raptors players are leading this team more than the backcourt duo of Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet.
Kyle Lowry
K-Low has been his old reliable self through the first two games of NBA resumption taking charges left and right, setting up his teammates as the floor general he is and playing monster minutes both nights only behind Pascal and Freddy. He does all that while dropping 33 pts against the Lakers Saturday night.
Lowry is the undebatable heartbeat of this team either putting up big nights on the stats sheet like he did Saturday night or by constantly hustling and putting his body on the line for the good of his team.
Many “experts” talked about how older players may have a harder time coming back after such a long hiatus and also loved to mention how Lowry was a notoriously slow starter. Kyle seems as dialed-in as ever and his leadership and effort will lead the Raps a long way this postseason.
Fred VanVleet
Steady Freddy had a double-double against the Lakers Saturday and a cool 36 pts against the Heat on Monday afternoon. Freddy keeps showing us why he should be the point guard of the future for the Toronto Raptors (lock him up Masai!) and continues to display that there is no moment too big for this young man.
VanVleet is the master of the clutch shot and the ball should always be in this guy’s hands when you need a big 3-pointer. Along with his offensive prowess, Fred is one of the best defensive guards in the league. He is constantly getting his hands in the lane and is always good for a steal or two a game. He plays big for a smaller guy and will never back down from a defensive coverage.