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NBA Player Power Rankings: Top 20 Players at Midway Point

By Maxwell Ogden

Jan 18, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) reacts on the bench in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 18, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) reacts on the bench in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 18, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry (7) celebrates after hitting a three-point shot against the Brooklyn Nets at Air Canada Centre. The Raptors beat the Nets 112-100. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 18, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry (7) celebrates after hitting a three-point shot against the Brooklyn Nets at Air Canada Centre. The Raptors beat the Nets 112-100. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports /

14. Kyle Lowry, Toronto Raptors

Last Rank: No. 15

Position: Point Guard

Age: 29

Slash Line: .419/.383/.880

Season Averages: 36.5 MPG, 20.9 PPG, 6.5 APG, 5.0 RPG, 2.3 SPG, 2.7 3PM

Kyle Lowry and the Toronto Raptors have a lot to prove. Toronto has lost in the first round of the NBA Playoffs in consecutive seasons, and Lowry was downright atrocious during the 2015 series.

Both Lowry individually and Toronto as a team have done their best to silence the critics in 2015-16.

Lowry has Toronto on a six-game winning streak, which has thus launched the team from the Great White North into the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. The 29-year-old’s ranking of No. 7 in Win Shares accurately displays his value.

Barring an egregious snub—something that’s happened before—a second All-Star Game appearance is on the way for the former Villanova Wildcats star.

Lowry opened this past week with 24 points, eight rebounds, and six assists against the Orlando Magic—a game during which he struggled as a shooter, but still contributed positively. He went off for 31 points and eight assists on 10-of-13 shooting against the Brooklyn Nets, and had 14 points and eight dimes in a road win over the Boston Celtics.

It wasn’t his most efficient week, but Lowry’s tremendous impact is rarely depicted properly in the box score.

Next: The Struggling Superstar