10 NBA superstars who are not considered superstars

3. Kyle Lowry

At the same time Kyle Lowry was earning a reputation as one of the better point guards in the league, he was also become known for falling on his face in the playoffs.

Lowry has been an All-Star for each of the past four seasons with the Toronto Raptors — averaging 19.3 points, 6.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game in that span — but each of those seasons ended with a thud. The Raptors were swept by the Washington Wizards in the first round in 2015, then suffered three straight losses to LeBron and the Cavs, two of them being sweeps.

Losing in such grand fashion makes it hard for a standout player to make the leap to the next level of fame, and Lowry in particular became one of the faces of Toronto’s perennial failure. That really hurts his standing among casual fans who only pay attention to the NBA during the playoffs.

Lowry’s latest postseason struggles happened while he was part of a Raptors’ core that featured DeMar DeRozan and was led by coach Dwane Casey. Following a turbulent offseason, Lowry’s next opportunity to reach superstar status will be with MVP candidate Kawhi Leonard at his side and new coach Nick Nurse calling the shots.

With a fresh start and LeBron having gone West, Lowry can re-write the book on his career.