Player To Watch: Kyle Lowry
Even though he’s in a mini-slump, Lowry is everything to the Raptors. Toronto outscores the opposition by 9.2 points per 100 possessions when Lowry is on the floor, compared to beating other teams by 4.0 points per 100 possessions with DeRozan out there.
Lowry’s mix of bullish defense, skilled playmaking and lights-out shooting has built the Raptors into a dynamic and ruthlessly efficient offense, despite the lack of three-point shooting in this team’s shot diet.
Toronto will need him to be better in this game to snap the team’s losing streak, though. Without his shooting the Raptors lose an entire dimension of offense, one that the team needs to continue scoring. DeRozan being out only intensifies the burden on Lowry.
He’s shown he’s more than capable of carrying the load this year though, averaging 22.4 points, 6.9 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game on 46.9 percent field goal shooting and 42.2 percent three-point shooting. Lowry is a top ten player, whether you believe it or not.