Player Profile: Kyle Lowry G Toronto Raptors
Kyle Lowry is currently averaging 20.5 PPG- 7.7 APG- 4.7 RPG during the 2014-2015 NBA Season, all career highs. Kyle Lowry is the unquestioned leader of the young Toronto Raptors, and he almost helped the Raptors earn their first playoff series victory in franchise history, as they lost in game 7 at home to the Brooklyn Nets the previous season.
Kyle Lowry was a free agent over the summer and had a lot of decisions to make, as many teams in the NBA were throwing a lot of money and promises to him. The Toronto Raptors have been a team who has never been able to keep their superstar players. Throughout their history, the Raptors have lost players such as Damon Stoudamire, Vince Carter, and Chris Bosh. Damon Stoudamire was traded by the Raptors, but Vince Carter and Chris Bosh both left Toronto as free agents in the prime of their careers to travel to more enticing NBA markets. Most NBA analysts believed the Kyle Lowry was going to do the same thing this summer and walk away from a young and promising team in Toronto. Kyle Lowry remained loyal to the team that gave him his chance, and signed a long-term contract extension to remain the Raptors’ point guard for years to come.
Kyle Lowry is not your average NBA player and he is not your average point guard. In a league where many of the point guards are sleek, athletic, and super quick, Lowry is the direct opposite of all of those things. Lowry cannot sky like Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook, and he does not blow past the defense with his blazing speed. If you saw Lowry on the street, you might not even know he is in the NBA, as he lacks the height and ripped physique that many players have. Lowry is not one of the flashiest point guards in the NBA, but he just might be the toughest, the most fearless, and the one you want making the correct decision when the game is on the line.
Lowry has been an NBA journeyman, and has had numerous stints with the Memphis Grizzlies and Houston Rockets, trying to make a name for himself, and trying to prove that he belongs in the NBA. Kyle Lowry is a great example of a player who struggled for many seasons to find a home where he could showcase his true talents. Lowry worked countless hours to improve his game and never gave up his dream of being one of the main pieces on a championship contender. As of today, the Toronto Raptors are the #1 seed in the Easter Conference and Kyle Lowry has been leading the way all season and should be selected to his first all-star game. Other teams in the Eastern Conference have more hype surrounding them like the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls, but one thing is for sure, Kyle Lowry and the Toronto Raptors are one team that everyone is scared of facing in the playoffs.
Contributing writer Jasen Sousa for Premier Hoops is the author of a number of poetry and fiction books for young people. Jasen has an M.F.A. in Creative Writing and is a life-long participant and fan of the game of basketball.