Kyle Lowry is the key to Toronto Raptors’ improvement
The Toronto Raptors turned things around last season, posting a 48-34 record and winning the NBA’ Atlantic Division. The biggest reason for their success was the play of point guard Kyle Lowry and he was rewarded with a four-year, $48 million contract earlier in the offseason.
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Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders believe Lowry is also the key to the Raptors continued improvement.
"As the summer gives way to the fall and the final set of pieces fall into place for some of the NBA’s contenders and late free agents, Rajon Rondo will eventually emerge as the most talked about point guard in the Atlantic Division.But it is Kyle Lowry who holds the keys to whether the Toronto Raptors will eventually rise up as its eventual champion……In Toronto, with expectations brought forth by a division title and $48 million, one way or another, the NBA public will learn a thing or two about not only Masai Ujiri and his Toronto Raptors, but also about what drove Lowry last season and whether he is capable of driving the Raptors to a place the franchise has not known for quite some time—consistent relevancy in an increasingly competitive Eastern Conference."
Lowry averaged 17.9 points, 7.4 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 42.3% from the field, 38.0% from beyond the arc and 81.3% from the charity stripe last season. Lowry, who was selected 24th-overall pick of the first round of the 2006 NBA Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies, has also played for the Raptors and Houston Rockets. In his career, he’s gone for 11.7 points, 5.4 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 41.8% from the floor, 35.0% from three and 79.1% from the free throw line.
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