Lowry’s floor time put in lower gear
Less minutes now should pay off in playoffs
Kyle Lowry’s relentless, allout effort style of play powers the Toronto Raptors during regular season contests, but has led at times to burnout once April and May roll around.
The organization has been trying to figure out a way to keep Lowry rested and in optimal shape for the playoffs, while still winning as many games as possible before then. They haven’t found answers yet. Now with the 31- year- old point guard the oldest player on the team by more than a full year over C. J. Miles ( and by 3- plus years over third- oldest DeMar DeRozan), a workable plan might be in place.
Lowry is averaging 5.1 fewer minutes per game so far compared to last season ( the equivalent of two full games when you total the minutes).
“It’s something we’ve been working on. We talked about it the last three years. Now we’re doing it,” Lowry said after practice on Monday morning, pointing to the emergence of point guards Delon Wright and Fred VanVleet, which has added more depth and youthful enthusiasm to the mix.
Lowry has topped 37 minutes only twice after doing so in 12 of the first 19 contests in 2016-17.
The bench has been tremendous, a carry-over to previous seasons, but unlike in the past, when Lowry usually joined Cory Joseph and other reserves on powerful units, Toronto has mostly thrived with Lowry getting some rest.
While Lowry says his body feels great, the on- court results have been mixed. His rebounding numbers have rocketed up (about 50 per cent), he leads the NBA in charges taken, he’s hit 90 per cent of his free throw attempts and most of his defensive metrics have improved, even if his steals are down. But he isn’t pleased with his overall play, mostly honing in on a brutal shooting slump to begin the year.
“For me, I’m kind of finding my rhythm now. I’m starting to play a lot better,” he said.
The numbers bear that out. Over the first six games, Lowry hit only a third of his three- point attempts and 37 per cent of his shots overall. Over the past five, he’s been as good as any NBA player, nailing half of his shots, including a whopping 3.8 three- pointers a night at a 48.7-per-cent clip. All in an average of fewer than 34 minutes a game.
Lowry says figuring out an optimal workload remains a work in progress.
“Me, personally, I don’t know it. I’m either gonna play or I’m not. I think the coaches have done a great job with it. I don’t know how many minutes I’m averaging, but I can definitely tell the difference with being given more rest,” he said.
“I’m feeling fresh. I’m feeling good. At the same time, when I’m playing a lot of minutes I get a little bit of a rhythm.”
And therein lies the rub as it has certainly been the case in the past: More minutes equals more Lowry production and more Raptors victories. But if the franchise has reached the point where all that matters is what transpires in the playoffs, the current practice of sitting Lowry more than he might like will have to continue for a few more months.
Head coach Dwane Casey seems prepared for that juggling act. There will be some nights where Lowry will be asked to do more, but as long as the wear and tear is managed better than it has been in the past, everybody will be happy. “Nobody’s really playing huge minutes,” he says.