Player To Watch: Kyle Lowry
Kyle Lowry’s performances against the Milwaukee Bucks might end up deciding the series. The Raptors are a deep team, but they rely on both Lowry and DeRozan to make things work. Although Toronto maintained their winning ways for the most part without Lowry when he got hurt, he’s crucial to the Raptors contending for a title.
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It’s a little incredible that Toronto accrues so few team assists per game, because Lowry dishes 7.0 assists by himself each contest. That’s nearly double what DeRozan averages, and he’s the second-best Raptor in terms of generating buckets for teammates.
Lowry will start the game and set the pace for Toronto, and the team will likely follow his lead. With the much taller and longer Malcolm Brogdon covering him, it’s not inconceivable that Lowry could have a tough time against the Bucks.
It’ll throw off the entire Raptors team if that happens. DeRozan is a sure thing to put up 20-plus points per game, but if Toronto goes without a star effort from Lowry the rest of the team might struggle to fill in the scoring void without any sort of free-flowing movement in the Raptors offense.