Balancing act
Rested Kyle Lowry still finding his rhythm for Raptors
Kyle Lowry’s relentless, all-out style of play powers the 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 three-plus years over third-oldest Raptor DeMar DeRozan), a workable plan might be in place.
Lowry is averaging 5.1 fewer minutes per game so far compared to last season, which is 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 Mon- day 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 carryover from 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 (his total rebound percentage, a measure of available rebounds hauled in, has gone up by about 50%), he leads the NBA in charges taken, he’s hit 90% of his free throw attempts and most of his defensive metrics have improved — even if his steals are down.
But Lowry 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% of his shots overall. Over his past five, he has 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% clip. All in an average of fewer than 34 minutes a game.
Still, Lowry says figuring out a balanced 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 = 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,” Casey said recently. “Now, we’re going to have the right to extend those minutes if we need Kyle Lowry or we need DeMar DeRozan in a game but we don’t want to make it habit.”
So far, they haven’t had to.
I don’t know how many minutes I’m averaging, but I can definitely tell the difference with being given more rest. Raptors guard Kyle Lowry