Toronto Raptors Are Ready to Go Where Kyle Lowry Leads

MIAMI — Kyle Lowry entered the 2015-16 campaign with top-shelf production, an All-Star selection and all the physical play his 6'0" frame could support. It was all there on his NBA resume already.

But the Philadelphia native has never looked better—physically or statistically.

The eye test bears the striking results of a busy summer spent transforming his body and fine-tuning his game. Slimmer, quicker and more productive than ever, the Toronto Raptors floor general is traversing one of his profession's most difficult paths: the ascension from great to greater.

"I definitely think this is [the best he's ever played]," Lowry's backcourt mate, DeMar DeRozan, told Bleacher Report. "The numbers show it. Everything shows it."

Lowry isn't new to the elite stage.

He was an All-Star starter last season and arguably the contest's biggest snub the year prior. He was one of only seven players to average at least 17 points, six assists and four rebounds during each of those campaigns.

With that said, his current level of play sits a story or two (at least) above his previous peak.

Lowry is currently slotted third in ESPN.com's all-encompassing real plus-minus (plus-9.40). He's one of only four players with top-20 marks in points (21.0, tied for 17th), assists (5.9, tied for 17th), steals (2.3, tied for first) and player efficiency rating (23.4, 13th).

As for a secret to success, his is simple. This season's surge wouldn't have happened without this summer's exhaustive efforts to maximize his potential.

"It's having the confidence to know that my body is going to be able to maintain and withstand all the bumping, the banging, the bruising," Lowry said. "Just hard work. I work hard on my game—every summer, every chance that I get."

No one has enjoyed the fruits of that labor more than the Raptors.

For them, Lowry has been a fortune-changing presence. From a macro perspective, he has elevated them to previously unseen levels of success. Since his arrival in a July 2012 trade with the Houston Rockets, Toronto has twice set high marks in wins—first with 48 in 2013-14, then 49 last season.

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

Under a narrower lens, Lowry's impact might be even more obvious.

The Raptors have outscored opponents by 5.8 points per 100 possessions when he's playing and been outscored by 5.6 points per 100 possessions when he's not. The former would be the league's fifth-best net rating. The latter would check in at 25th.

With Lowry leading the charge, Toronto has cemented itself as one of the Eastern Conference's best. Even after Sunday's 104-94 loss to the Sacramento Kings—a contest that featured a Lowry ejection, a 22-point first-quarter deficit and a spirited rally that fell just a few points short—the Raptors (17-12) are sitting fifth in the East and comfortably atop the Atlantic Division.

Toronto would hold neither of those positions without Lowry.

Defensively, he's a pest. He provides airtight coverage on the ball, shaving 2.4 percentage points off his opponents' field-goal conversion rates. His plus-2.69 defensive real plus-minus ranks 27th overall, first among point guards and second among perimeter players (behind reigning Defensive Player of the Year Kawhi Leonard).

Offensively, Lowry masterfully balances his dual roles as the Raptors' primary distributor and No. 2—or, really, 1A—scorer. He maintains Toronto's spacing by constantly probing past the first line of defense and leaning heavily on a three-point shot that's never been so accurate.

"I believe the way he plays, being so aggressive, being so brave, relentlessly going to the basket all game long, that creates a lot of problems for other teams," Raptors forward Luis Scola said. "At the same time, it creates a lot of opportunities for the rest of our players."

Because Lowry carries such a heavy scoring burden, his passing is easy to overlook. He can't match the volume of the league's top table-setters, having only two double-digit-assist performances in 29 games this season and just 13 during 70 outings last year.

But digging a little deeper highlights how effective he is in a setup role.

The Raptors post their worst true shooting percentage when he's not in the game (51.4, down from 54.4 when he is), and six of their top eight rotation players (not including him) shoot better off his passes than they do overall.

Player	Normal FG%	FG% Off Lowry Passes
Bismack Biyombo	45.9	58.8
DeMarre Carroll	38.6	44.3
DeMar DeRozan	44.1	44.2
Patrick Patterson	37.3	37.5
Terrence Ross	39.4	50.0
Luis Scola	46.8	50.0

Impressive as the production is, it only tells part of the story of Lowry's overall influence.

"He's our leader on the floor, he's our leader off the floor," Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas said.

Leadership is obviously an intangible quality, and the proof of its existence can sometimes be hard to find.

However, that isn't the case here. Toronto embodies some of Lowry's best qualities. There's a toughness to this team, and it all ties back to its fiery floor general.

"He's a bulldog," Valanciunas said. "He never gives up. He's fighting for every ball. He does everything."

Lowry's game can't be played without grit, perseverance and stubbornness. It's the fearlessness to constantly venture into a swarm of 7-footers. It's the floor burns he picks up in dogged pursuits of loose balls. It's the commitment to excellence that makes a 29-year-old All-Star spend an entire offseason finding ways to elevate his already-elite game.

Those are some of the many reasons the "bulldog" tag—which Lowry calls "a term of endearment"—has followed him throughout his big league career. He might have dropped a weight class over the summer, but his knockout punch has never packed more power.

"My teammates know at the end of the day I'm going to fight with them no matter what," Lowry said. "No matter the situation, I'm going to go down swinging and fighting."

All quotes obtained firsthand. Statistics used courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com and are current through games played on Dec. 20.

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