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NBA Player Power Rankings: Kevin Durant Surpassing LeBron?

By Maxwell Ogden

Dec 17, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) is defended by Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) in the third quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 17, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) is defended by Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) in the third quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 30, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry (7) gives the thumbs-up as the Raptors won their eleventh game in a row against the Detroit Pistons at Air Canada Centre. The Raptors beat the Pistons 111-107. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 30, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry (7) gives the thumbs-up as the Raptors won their eleventh game in a row against the Detroit Pistons at Air Canada Centre. The Raptors beat the Pistons 111-107. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports /

13. Kyle Lowry, Toronto Raptors

Last Rank: No. 14

Position: Point Guard

Age: 29

Slash Line: .422/.388/.865

Season Averages: 36.7 MPG, 20.8 PPG, 6.2 APG, 4.9 RPG, 2.3 SPG, 2.8 3PM

Kyle Lowry has the Toronto Raptors positioned to make a run at an elusive Eastern Conference Finals appearance. Toronto is in sole possession of the No. 2 seed, holding a 5.0-game lead over the No. 3 Atlanta Hawks with 33 games remaining on the schedule.

Anything can happen from hereon out, but Lowry is pacing himself to being undeniably deserving of an All-NBA selection at year’s end.

Lowry’s been the source of Toronto’s success as a productive scorer and facilitator who anchors the perimeter defense and shoots at a borderline elite pace. He rates at a superstar level in the advanced metrics, and backs that up with the eye test for those who actually watch him play.

Now a two-time All-Star at 29 years old, Lowry is continuing his late career surge by leading one of the best teams in the NBA.

Lowry is No. 7 in the Association in Win Shares and No. 10 in Win Shares per 48 minutes. Based on averages, he’s  No. 3 in steals, No. 14 in assists, and No. 16 in scoring—marks that come with the task of essentially splitting ball-handling duties with DeMar DeRozan.

Lowry may not steal headlines in the way his peers do, but he’s a Top 15 player in today’s NBA.

Next: The Point God