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