Lowry has adjusted to Tampa, but says COVID inevitable among players

Despite the countless precautions the NBA has put into place ahead of this bizarre season, include twice-daily testing, Kyle Lowry said it’s virtually a given that players will contract COVID-19.

And so, flexibility is key.

The Toronto Raptors’ six-time all-star played a key role the league’s successful restart at Walt Disney World last summer, but the safety net of the bubble is gone. Teams will be criss-crossing the U.S., where the virus continues to rage.

“It’s going to happen and we have to adjust, and when it happens, no-one’s going to know how guys get it, or coaches get it, or whoever gets it. No-one’s going to understand how it happened . . . it’s going to be like, ‘Damn, OK,”’ Lowry said.

“But the players, the team, the coaches, the league, will have to go on, make adjustments and figure it out as we go and it will be a different year. It’s going to be a tough year, but we got some of the best people in the world working with us, working for us.”

Lowry added players need to comply 100 per cent by wearing their masks and not venturing places where it’s not safe.

“Because at the end of the day, this is our job, right, and we have to do it at a high level,” he said.

Since the Raptors were ousted from the bubble in late August, beaten in seven games by Boston in the second round of the playoffs, he’s spent time with his two sons, and played a lot of golf.