Focused Lowry setting torrid pace
It’s bombs away for Raptors guard, who’s been blazing hot from outside in past 10 games
Without even trying, Kyle Lowry provided some insight Friday into how he has developed into one of the best players in the NBA.
Relentless work on his game and a failure to be satisfied once some success comes are two Lowry staples.
The soon-to-be three-time allstar point guard — who deserves to start for a third consecutive year — is in the midst of the best shooting stretch of his 11-year career. He connected on his first six threepoint attempts against Atlanta Friday, vaulted up to fifth in the league in three-point accuracy (45.5 per cent), and has shot a remarkable 62 per cent from deep over his past 10 games.
Yet, when asked about his performance following the loss, Lowry didn’t seem impressed at all. He pointed to his two fourth-quarter three-point misses, which came as the Raptors nearly crawled all the way back from a 19-point deficit.
“You went 6-for-8, does that feel ... normal?” came the question from a reporter.
“I missed two that I should have made, so ... my job is to make those shots,” Lowry said, clearly only concerned with his team’s loss.
Something must feel different mechanically, though, from the past, right?
“It all feels the same. It’s (just) going through the net,” Lowry said.
Because Lowry’s shooting numbers have been so eye-popping for weeks, it’s hard to believe he started the year missing 12 of his first 15 three-point attempts, or that he was only a 25 per cent outside shooter his first several seasons in the NBA. Or that he shot only 22 per cent from deep in the playoffs two seasons ago and only 30 per cent last year, thanks mainly to an elbow issue.
Everything has changed in 201617, with Lowry sparking one of the best offences the league has ever seen. The team has scored at least 100 points in 13 straight contests, the second-longest streak in franchise history and longest active run, averaging 117 points per game in the span. Lowry has averaged 24.2 points in that time.
“I mean, I’m just shooting the ball well and getting good looks,” he said. “Cory (Joseph’s) getting me a couple of good looks and I’m wide open. I’m going to keep shooting the ball.”
As he should. Over the years, the Raptors have had gunners like Dell Curry, Walt Williams, Tracy Murray, Jason Kapono, Donyell Marshall, Steve Novak, Anthony Parker and, at times, Jose Calderon, but they’ve never featured someone as red-hot as Lowry is at the moment.
That said, unless the team starts playing some defence and stops being awful on the defensive boards, there will be more losses like Friday, no matter how well Lowry shoots.
“It doesn’t (mean anything) right now,” head coach Dwane Casey said of Toronto’s league-best offence.
“You’ve got to have balance in this league. If you’re first in offence and last in defence, it’s not worth a hill of beans,” he said.
“I like our offence. I like the way we’re playing. We’re utilizing screens, we’re passing the ball, we’re making shots (but) we still have to be consistent on the defensive end. And it’s not from a lack of effort. We’re doing some things that are not smart. We’re not thinking the defensive end.
“We’re playing hard. But we’re not executing technique and schemes and making mistakes on things that we shouldn’t be.”