Toronto Raptors: Kyle Lowry's Preseason A Precursor

Last season left a sour taste in the mouths of Toronto Raptors fans after they were swept by the Washington Wizards in four games in the opening round of the playoffs, making their exit in the first round for the second-straight season. Although it seemed the season ended in an unsatisfying fashion, there was a bright spot with one player who took the next step to stardom, Kyle Lowry.

Lowry has always been viewed as one of the underdogs in a point guard-driven league. He didn’t overwhelm opponents with his flashy skills, but he got the job done in a very efficient way. Last season as he averaged 17.8 points, 6.8 assists, and 4.7 rebounds, he was named an NBA All-Star, the first of his then nine-year career.

After such a successful season individually, expectations rise considerably for Lowry this year as he takes on the leadership role to help the Raptors make a deep playoff run in the East. So far, he is living up to expectations.

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It was evident that Lowry was serious about taking his game to the next level even before this year’s training camp, losing a noticeable amount of weight. James Herbert of CBSSports asked Lowry why he decided to lose weight now:

"“It started during [last] season, and even before that. I was talking to my wife, and she said “You were always your best at your college weight.” The saying is, the older you get, the lighter you’ve got to be. I thought Ray Allen did a great job of that, and Chauncey Billups too. I’m getting to the point where I’m a little bit older. I’m still young, but I’m a little bit older, and I can pick and choose how I want my body to look and feel. It’s good to understand your body. I want to be special. At the end of the day it’s all about me and how I feel and what I can provide for my team and my family.”"

The weight loss has proven thus far to do exactly what Lowry intended. In four preseason games, he is averaging 24.3 points and 4.7 assists while shooting 55.4 percent from the field. Throughout the preseason, Lowry has had impressive performances finishing with 25 and 26 points in two of the matchups.

But his most impressive game occurred against the Minnesota Timberwolves when he exploded for 40 points, going 13-of-18 from the field and 6-of-9 from deep in 28 minutes.

It isn’t often that you see star players have big games as Lowry has had in preseason. Usually, the stars of teams will get their 20-25 minutes working out the kinks before heading to the bench and preserving their bodies until the start of the regular season. Lowry isn’t waiting for the regular season.

He wants everyone to recognize that his performances this preseason is just a snippet of what he will bring throughout the course of this NBA calendar year.

The Eastern Conference as a whole is a lot stronger in comparison to recent years. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks will continue to be the top competitors, but other teams have made moves to boost their chances of dethroning them.

The Milwaukee Bucks are a young and athletic team who can be surprise contenders this season after making the acquisition of Greg Monroe in free agency. The Miami Heat reloaded and will have everyone healthy heading into the first game. They also have arguably one of the best starting five’s in the NBA.

The Washington Wizards will continue to build off their success led by All-Star point guard John Wall. And last but not least, the Pacers get back Paul George after missing 76 games last season due to a gruesome leg injury.

The Raptors did their own improvement during the offseason as well. They signed Demarre Carroll who played a major roll in the Atlanta Hawks’ success last season. Carroll will be expected to come in and provide much needed defensive prowess along with the ability to stretch the floor.

With the starting five of Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, Carroll, Patrick Patterson, and Jonas Valuncianas, the Raptors have the players to improve on last season’s 49-33 record. If they make it to 50 wins, it will be the first time any team did so in the franchise’s existence.

Much of how the Raptors will fare this season belongs in Lowry’s hands. Thus far, he has given us a good sign that a record-breaking season could be in effect not only for the franchise, but also for himself.

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