Kyle Lowry Is Now A Household Name

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In 2006, it was a bit of a shock when guard Kyle Lowry declared for the NBA Draft. Lowry played college basketball at Villanova University for two years where as a freshman he was a member of the Big East Conference’s All-Rookie Team in 2005 along with being second-team All Big East in 2006. As a sophomore, Lowry averaged 11.0 points and 3.7 assists per contest as he helped Villanova reach the Elite Eight of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament for the first time since 1988. Lowry was one of four guards that Villanova head basketball coach Jay Wright implemented in his starting lineup that season. Lowry would be outshined by guards Allan Ray and Randy Foye that season and with the duo set to graduate in 2006, all signs pointed to Lowry having a bigger role the following season.

But in 2006, Lowry would be selected in the first round of the NBA Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies. Lowry’s numbers have improved in every season; especially when he was traded to the Houston Rockets in 2009. By the end of the 2010-2011 NBA season, Lowry was averaging double-digits in points for the first time in his professional career as he averaged 13.5 points and 6.7 assists for the Rockets. However Lowry wasn’t on the same page with Rockets head coach Kevin McHale and in 2012 he was traded once more; this time to the Toronto Raptors.

With the Raptors, Lowry’s numbers have continued to improve as he averaged 17.9 points and 7.4 assists last season in helping Toronto win its first Atlantic Division Title since 2007. Other NBA teams noticed Lowry’s improved play. Last year teams such as the Indiana Pacers attempted to acquire Lowry, but Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri wasn’t interested in parting with the point guard. Last summer Lowry became a free agent and with teams like the Miami Heat vying for his services it would have been easy for him to leave Toronto, but he stayed with the Raptors after agreeing to a four-year deal worth $48 million.

This season Lowry has continued to improve his play as he is averaging 18.4 points and 7.1 assists which are both tops on the Raptors team. Lowry recorded a triple-double on November 7 in a 103-84 victory over the Washington Wizards which was just one of his highlights this season. Lowry’s improvement hasn’t gone unnoticed by the basketball world as not only did he participate in his first NBA All-Star Game last Sunday, but he was a starter for the Eastern Conference on the same squad that featured Cleveland Cavaliers small forward LeBron James and New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony.

At 6’0″, 205 lbs., Lowry brings that Philadelphia playground game to the NBA. Lowry is a physical guard that doesn’t have a problem with getting physical close to the basket along with providing speed as far as driving to the hole. Overall, Lowry is simply Philly tough. Lowry is the prime example of a player that has aggressively worked at his craft each day in order to improve and become not only a solid NBA player, but one of the better overall point guards in the league. A prime example of that was this season when Raptors shooting guard DeMar DeRozan was sidelined with an injury for 21 games. DeRozan is the Raptors second leading scorer this season at 18.4 points per game and in his absence with Lowry leading the way, Toronto went 12-9.

At 37-19, the Raptors have the second best record in the Eastern Conference and they also have a cushy 13-game lead over the Brooklyn Nets for first place in the Atlantic Division. The Raptors are a virtual lock to make the NBA Playoffs this spring and they are looking to advance past the first round for the first time since 2001. For the Raptors to make some noise in the postseason they will rely on Lowry’s ability which he has displayed all season long as being a true floor general.

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By | 2015-02-24T11:51:44+00:00 February 24th, 2015|Categories: National Basketball Association|Tags: , , |0 Comments

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