RAPS FEED OFF INTENSITY FROM TEAM LEADER
But it’s crucial for all-star guard Lowry to contain his competitive style at times
The Toronto Raptors need Kyle Lowry to be on the court to be successful and Lowry is eager to be a better team leader this season. So things like Sunday night’s ejection early in an eventual loss to the Washington Wizards just can’t happen.
Still, the referee was as much at fault as Lowry in that ridiculous dismissal and the bottom line is Lowry doesn’t intend to change and Raptors’ head coach Dwane Casey is in full agreement with his star player.
After declining four times to discuss the ejection after practice on Monday — because he didn’t want to get fined — Lowry was asked if he needs to rein in his competitiveness on the court in order to stay in games.
“No. I’m going to be me,” was the reply.
For Lowry, being ‘me’ means being cantankerous, as competitive as they come, relentless and driven.
And when he feels wronged, he will let people know.
He feels he hasn’t been getting the calls he is used to so far this season (partly because the offence has changed and made him less of an attacker, partly because some infractions are being ignored) and he let a young official know on Sunday — repeatedly — that a foul call had been missed.
The timing could have been better — Washington was without its own all-star point guard, John Wall and Lowry and the Raptors had been playing poorly — but only LeBron James has a higher value over replacement player mark than Lowry among Eastern Conference players over the past five seasons.
So the franchise is willing to let Lowry be himself.
“I love Kyle. I never want Kyle Lowry to change. But we need him (to be on the court),” Casey said about the incident.
“I told him that earlier, we need all of our players to be competitive, be professional and to keep their heads. You never want a player to lose his competitiveness.”
That take is understandable. Casey previously coached the likes of Gary Payton and Kevin Garnett, both of whom like Lowry were incredibly intense and unflinching on the court.
They also eventually became champions, which Lowry aspires to be.
Last season, Casey described Lowry’s influence like this: “Kyle’s competitive spirit. He just ignites us,” the coach said after a victory sparked by Lowry. “He just gives us a fight, grit.”
Lowry has always been the lead by example type, encouraging his teammates to follow his lead in going all-out.
Off the court, he hasn’t always said the right things, but he entered this year prepared to take a leadership role.
“I think that’s one thing I want to really focus on, being a better leader,” Lowry said on media day.
“I’m more of a show guy, you know I go out there and do it. And I think one thing I have to do a better job of is communicating with everyone else.
I may think something or see something one way and I need to communicate that better. I think that’s one thing I can help myself and help the team with.”
Lowry has done a good job of encouraging and praising the many youngsters who have become contributors and that needs to continue.
Most importantly, though, he needs to get back to being the on-court force that has powered the Raptors to unprecedented heights over the past few seasons.
The offence badly needed to be modernized, but if doing so comes at the cost of neutralizing Lowry, the Raptors won’t be any further ahead.