For just the second time in his career after leaving the Toronto Raptors, Kyle Lowry returned to his old stomping grounds and faced off against a team that is being led by his former understudy in Fred VanVleet. Lowry fell in defeat in this matchup, losing 112-104 thanks to a brilliant game from O.G. Anunoby.
The combination of the money that Miami was willing to give away, their short-term championship prospects, and that aqua-blue south Florida water all played a role in wooing Lowry away from Toronto. Luckily, Masai Ujiri had done a lot of planning to avoid such a scenario.
VanVleet has been able to step right into Lowry’s vacated role and keep the Raptors competitive. With a few games against his old mentor under his belt, VanVleet was able to look back on these games and chuckle at the thought of locking horns with the GROAT.
VanVleet said it was “funny” to line up against Lowry, declaring that he can’t be frustrated by all of the veteran tricks that No. 7 tries to pull. VanVleet did realize how annoying it can be to play against Lowry and watch him toy with the referees, but Fred thinks that’s all part of the chess match within any given game.
VanVleet on facing Lowry: “It’s funny for me. There’s nothing he can do to frustrate me. It’s annoying when he tricks the refs but other than that it’s just fun watching him still do what he does. I thought he was old 3 years ago… It’s a fun chess match.”
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) November 17, 2022
Toronto Raptors: Fred VanVleet discussed playing Kyle Lowry.
Lowry finished the game with 19 points on 6-9 shooting and two assists. While the Heat ended up losing this contest, Lowry was the only player on that Miami side with a positive plus-minus in this game. Even after a slow start, he’s still able to get it done.
While Lowry set off some alarm bells early in the season due to a very slow start and his big contract, he’s looked more like the Lowry of old in his last few games.
Lowry was baiting the refs into calling fouls, hitting clutch 3-pointers, and keeping a banged-up roster in the game late. In other words, he did the same stuff he was used to in Toronto for nine years.
The love between Lowry and his former teammates is evident. VanVleet said that he tries to watch as many of Miami’s games as he can, with FVV confirming that Lowry does the same with his old friends from Toronto. The two factions parted ways at the perfect time, and both are thriving since the split.
"I watch as many of his games as I can handle," says Fred VanVleet of Lowry. "I'm a Kyle fan, I'm not really a Heat fan."
— Louis Zatzman (@LouisZatzman) November 17, 2022
There will be a generation of Raptors fans who will never get used to seeing Lowry in Heat colors. It’s still a bit awkward. However, the transition to VanVleet has been very smooth, giving both franchises a chance to win games in the short term.