The man widely regarded as the greatest Raptor of all time returns to town on Wednesday for one of two visits this season.
Kyle Lowry will return to a franchise that hasn’t been the same since he left and could still benefit from his services. That didn’t appear to be the case last year, when Lowry’s game appeared to be in significant decline, following an initial season in Miami that wasn’t up to his usual standards, either, as Lowry was dealing with a personal issue that kept him away from the Heat at times.
But this season, Lowry has made a significant comeback, shooting a career-high 44.4% from three-point range, ranking 11th in the NBA among players with at least 80 attempts.
Though Lowry is no longer the assist machine he once was, he is still averaging 4.3 points per game while playing less than 30 minutes per night for the first time since his first season in Toronto in 2012-13. All of this just a few months before his 38th birthday.
The six-time all-star is still the franchise’s leader in assists, three-pointers, steals, triple-doubles, win shares, and value over replacement player, and he was a topic of discussion ahead of Wednesday’s game.
“He did amazing stuff here in Toronto,” Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic said following a spirited practice on Tuesday. “He did incredible things across the league, and he was also on a championship-winning team.” Obviously, his legacy is significant, and he is still a player who plays extremely hard and competitively. “I really admire guys like that,” Rajakovic said. “They just find the motivation every single day to come to work, practice or game, and bring their best.”
Dennis Schroder, Toronto’s point guard successor to Lowry’s apprentice turned successor Fred VanVleet, feels the same way. Over Schroder’s first ten years in the NBA, he and Lowry have had a number of memorable battles. They spent much of that time on two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, with Schroder on the Atlanta Hawks.
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“I mean, I remember them Atlanta days when we went against each other and there was always competitiveness,” she said. “Of course when he guards me and it’s getting competitive, we talk, you know, we’re getting into it, I mean, I kind of like that.”
This will be Lowry’s fourth game in Toronto since joining the Heat in a sign-and-trade deal. Because of the COVID-19 bubble and the Tampa season, his return in April 2022 came more than two years after his previous game in town. Lowry received a standing ovation after that game, and then went on to have a double-double in a Miami victory, capping his “special night,” which began with him wearing his championship ring for a rare pre-game media session. “It’s not my home building anymore, but it’s a place I’ll always call home,” said Lowry.
Lowry scored 19 points in his second return, a Raptors win last November, but came off the bench and was quiet in another Raptors win over the Heat last March.
Lowry is thriving in his new starting role and shows no signs of his age. On Wednesday night, he’ll show the Raptors what they’re missing.
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