Lowry buys into the Raptors’ new game philosophy
Stylistic reset better “in the long term,” star guard says of team’s successful system
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Kyle Lowry was speaking after a practice in New York City back in January. This was approximately halfway through the Raptors’ regularseason slog, approximately halfway through a transformational season that’s seen a stylistic reset and unprecedented success.
And at that time Lowry, the starting point guard, was asked if the parts of the overhaul most affecting him were having their intended impact. Lowry was playing less than usual – down from 37 minutes a night in 2016-17 to about 32. He was shooting less, driving less, dribbling less, too. It was all in an effort to avoid the end-of-season burnout that appeared to afflict Lowry in postseasons of the past. And it was, too, about sharing the ball among teammates and shooting more three pointers as a unit, as per the sport’s evolution.
And even if Lowry was fully aware of the philosophy behind the change, that didn’t mean he had to be happy about it.
“It sucks,” was Lowry’s assessment of the streamlining of his role, speaking on that day in January.
This was not, mind you, the outburst of a malcontent. Lowry went on to talk about how the franchise rethink was “better for the team” and better for Lowry “in the long term.”
“I understand what the endgame is,” Lowry said back in January. “But yeah, it sucks.”
On Friday at the Capital One Center, the Raptors found themselves perched at what they hope is only the beginning of the endgame, carrying a 2-0 lead into Game 3 of a first-round playoff series against the Wizards. And Lowry was asked to assess the state of his bodily infrastructure in the wake of a regular season designed to reduce his personal wear and tear.
Lowry said he can detect the benefits of his reduced workload, even if they’re hard to quantify.
“I’m well-rested. I feel good,” Lowry said. “I for sure can tell … I don’t know the scientific breakdown of it, but you definitely can tell the difference.”
If last year’s playoff run wasn’t a good point of comparison – Lowry, after all, was coming off an injury-plagued regular season that kept him out of 22 games – he thought back to the 2015-16 run to the Eastern Conference final.
That year, he said, he would take plays off “because I had to.” In other words, he was constantly running up against his physical limits in the midst of the most important moments of the season.
“Now, it’s no plays off,” Lowry said. “You kind of just go through and play.”
It’s a good sign for the Raptors that, heading into Game 3, they’d been succeeding without Lowry providing his usual offensive production. Even with his reduced role, after all, he still averaged 16 points and seven assists per game during the regular season. In Games 1 and 2 he averaged just 12 points a game, shooting 2 for 12 from three-point range.
Still, the crafty playmaker was also contributing about 11 assists a game while playing credible defence on John Wall and, occasionally, Bradley Beal. And his cold hand wasn’t much of an issue considering Toronto’s pair of convincing wins.
As Wizards coach Scott Brooks said the other day: “Kyle’s not a volume shooter. He’s a volume winner.”
Lowry clearly sees himself in the same light.
“I don’t know what my regular season wins and losses are, but I think I’ve got a pretty good record,” Lowry said Friday. “I win games. I win games. That’s all that matters.”
Lowry said he’s been measuring himself by wins and losses ever since he became a starter in the league, first in Houston and later with the Raptors. And by that measurement, he’s been effective. The Raptors are 255-161 with Lowry as a starter in the regular season – a .613 winning percentage. In the playoffs, though, it’s a slightly different story.
Heading into Friday, the Raptors were 19-22 in the post-season with Lowry starting at the point. That’s a .463 winning percentage he’d surely like to improve upon.
If Lowry can buttress that number this spring, it’ll be thanks in part to changes brainstormed last summer. Lowry said even before he signed a threeyear contract extension worth about US$100 million he knew his role would need to be different.
“As a professional, as a man, I knew what was going to happen. So I understood it,” Lowry said. “I understood what was going on, that that was the best thing for us.”