Kyle Lowry has his own way of dealing with the endless parade of elite point guard battles he finds himself in basically every night.
Rather than getting caught up in the emotion of trying to outplay another All-Star, he’s concentrating solely on his game. As he put it recently before a matchup with Atlanta All-Star Jeff Teague, Lowry is just “staying in his lane.”
It appears to be working for the Toronto Raptors’ leader and star. It certainly worked against Teague and the Hawks. Lowry torched the Hawks for 22 of his season-high 31 points in the fourth quarter as he rallied his team from 17 points down for a huge 96-86 road win Wednesday night.
It’s the best Raptors coach Dwane Casey said he’s seen Lowry in that situation.
“The thing about Kyle is he’s so quick and he’s so strong,” Casey said. “People forget about that and he goes in their and drives into the bodies of the big guys and initiates contact. He’s almost like a little mouse, he gets in there and finds a hole and just gets through there.
“He does a great job with that and he knows when to do it, how to do it and exactly where the defense is coming from. And having Corey (Joseph) in there with him at that time helps him because it takes him off of handling the ball all the time and allows him to attack from different angles.”
Lowry has done any and everything the Raptors have needed him to this season. He’s scored in double figures in every game, including 12 games with 20 or more points. He is second on the team in scoring (21.0), but leads them in assists (6.2) and steals (2.7). He’s shooting a career-best 40.4 percent from 3-point range and he’s reshaped his body, shedding some 15 to 20 pounds, which has made him quicker than usual.
“I have to get my work in because it’s a challenge every night,” Lowry said as he was headed out of the locker room for his pregame routine Wednesday night. “I had Eric Bledsoe the other night, Teague tonight, the rookie [Emmanuel] Mudiay Thursday night and then Steph [Curry] Saturday night. That’s just this week. Every night it’s somebody else on the other side capable of embarrassing you if you’re not on point.
“But personally, I stay in my own lane. I enjoy watching all of these other guys play and I make sure that I can compete at the same level they’re all competing at, but at the end of the day I have to stay in my own lane and worry about my team and doing what I need to do be a leader and help us win games.”
That hasn’t been a problem for the Raptors this season. They are leading the Atlantic Division and feeding off of Lowry’s relentless energy and leadership, on and off the court.
Lowry said he came back this season focused and in shape both mentally and physically for the challenges he knows he’ll have to deal with all season.
“You have to respect the position you are in, respect your opponents and the work guys are putting in to be the best at what they do,” Lowry said. “We’re all dogs out here, trying to get to the same thing and it’s pretty incredible when you look at the line-ups every night and see who you are going up against. You have to respect the craft. You do that, and you’ll be fine.”
They Raptors will be fine this season, as long as they stay in Lowry’s lane.
By Sekou Smith
First appeared on NBA.com Global
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