Kyle Lowry is really freaking good.

I feel like that needed to be said, even though it’s abundantly clear to anyone who watches the Raptors. They’re getting by without him, trudging along at 9–5 since the All-Star break (I’m talking wrist and the event), but Lowry’s excellence still litters the leader boards.

Despite the three-week absence, Lowry remains a top-10 player by ESPN’s Real Plus-Minus. He’s ninth in Boxscore Plus-Minus and 11th in Value Over Replacement Player. He was enjoying a career-year. He’s the Raptors’ best playmaker, best shooter, best passer, one of two pillars along with DeMar DeRozan, and simultaneously both the heart and the brain.

It’s unclear as to when Lowry will return, and it’s an even bigger question of how he will perform. He should make a full recovery, but the bottom line still reads surgery to his shooting wrist. That’s not good, especially with only three weeks left before the playoffs. He’s not even practising yet.

But as that 9–5 record shows, the Raptors have found other ways to win. They’ve become a different team. And if you finally add a fully-functional Lowry to the mix, the Raptors could be really freaking good.

The defense is much, much better

Getting stops was the biggest problem early on.

Specifically, the Raptors couldn’t contain dribble penetration, largely off pick and roll action. It was an old problem that was thought to be fixed last season, but the Raptors instead returned to 2014–15 levels of ineptitude. Constantly allowing penetration meant the defense constantly scrambled, which opened up the defensive glass. It was a mess.

The only big who consistently produced on defense was Patrick Patterson — a smart positional defender who the Raptors relied upon to an embarrassing degree. When Mr. 8-points-5-rebounds succumbed to a nagging knee injury, the wheels fell off. Embarrassing performances throughout January ensued.

Defense is no longer an issue, not after Masai Ujiri shipped out Terrence Ross, a low first-round pick and two seconds for Serge Ibaka and P.J. Tucker. In two fell swoops the entire identity of this team morphed into a snarling, rugged, gimme-defense-or-give-me-death-by-Tucker’s-bare-hands style that grinds out wins.

(Per 100 possessions)

If numbers make your eyes gloss over, then just picture this: Before the trades Bebe Nogueira consistently closed out games as the Raptors’ center. If not him, then the short-armed, 6-foot-9 Patterson would be the de facto center. There was zero expectation that stops would come.

Nowadays, Patterson is often sitting with Valanciunas during crunch time. Ibaka is protecting the basket as a mobile, shot-blocking, traffic-directing backline defender. Tucker leads the point of attack, both as a quick-footed brick wall, and as a master motivator. Shit, he even got DeMar DeRozan to play defense.

(Related: rack your brain for one memorable stop from DeRozan. There are none through seven seasons. But since Tucker’s challenge, DeRozan locked down Marcus Morris to 1–13 shooting, hustled back on defense to pick-pocket Rajon Rondo, then blocked the shit out of Joffrey Lauvergne.)

The closing lineup of DeRozan, Cory Joseph, Tucker, DeMarre Carroll/Patterson and Ibaka is ruthless. Penetration is no longer an issue — it’s not even possible with how that lineup communicates, and how they switch on defense.

This shift is most pronounced during crunch time — another area in which the Raptors struggled before the deadline. They’re demoralizing teams in clutch scenarios (five-point game, within five minutes) with a defensive rating of 72.5 post all-star break. They’re basically turning every team into five Omer Asiks when it matters most.

A pleasant side effect to the new defense: the Raptors have produced some of their most breathtaking comebacks in recent weeks.

They outscored the Celtics 33–20 in the fourth to expose the tryhards on ESPN (foreshadowing for the playoffs). Two weeks later, the Pistons managed two points in the final nine minutes which allowed the Raptors to steal a road win shooting 37 percent from the field. This week it was the comeback against Chicago, again on ESPN, using a 21–4 run in the final six minutes of regulation to force overtime, then closing it out to finally snap a four-year losing steak to the Bulls.

Again, affix your eyes on the defense. It’s beautiful.

Weaknesses that Lowry can address

Where the Raptors struggle is on offense, and with their bench. That can largely be explained by the loss of Lowry.

All things considered, maintaining a league-average offense (105.7 offensive rating, 16th in NBA) isn’t bad. Credit DeRozan for putting up 40-point games on the regular, credit Ibaka for fitting in seamlessly, and quite honestly, credit their defensive-deficient opponents. The likes of Boston, New York, Portland, Dallas, Chicago and Detroit don’t exactly overwhelm anyone with their defense.

But problems quickly arise once you look below the surface.

The first and biggest problem you encounter is the 3-point shooting. They rank bottom-five in attempts, makes and shooting percentage. It doesn’t matter how good the defense is — you’re not winning shit without shooting in the modern NBA.

The other issue, undoubtedly tied to the wayward 3-point shooting, is the lack of assists. Their pitiful average of 16.6 per game ranks dead-last by a mile. Dwane Casey’s playbook was thin before the trades; it only grew thinner once newer players arrived. Practice time is limited and Casey’s first priority was and will always be on defense. Therefore most of their plays revolve around DeRozan/Norman Powell/Cory Joseph creating off a high screen.

Lowry helps in two regards. Not only is he a prolific 3-point shooter (only three players hit more threes per game), but Lowry generates looks for everyone else. Joseph and DeRozan aren’t natural playmakers and they can’t distort a defense the way Lowry can in the halfcourt. Lowry also allows the Raptors to play with pace, which should naturally generate more open looks from deep.

The other issue is bench production, which is bore out in the quarter-by-quarter splits.

The Raptors have struggled mightily to maintain leads or mount comebacks in the second quarter, when the starters play the fewest minutes. A few times (Washington, Miami, Milwaukee) the bottom fell out completely in that dreaded second stanza.

1st Q— minus 0.6 (21)

2nd Q— minus 3.1 (28th)

3rdQ — minus 1.5 (22nd)

4thQ — plus 7.6 (1st)

Again, these issues circle back to Lowry, who captained the bench unit. The bench actually outscored opponents by 1.7 points in the second quarter with Lowry at the dials. Cutting Lowry, Nogueira and Terrence Ross out of the picture leaves a hobbled Patterson as the only constant guiding a wholly unfamiliar crew.

This current bench unit actually does well to get stops, but they simply cannot generate consistent offense.

Norman Powell is best served as a secondary slasher, not as a point guard working off a high ball screen in the middle of the floor. His erratic shooting and his unpredictable shot selection has corrupted the floor balance on many occasions. The same can be said for Delon Wright and Fred VanVleet. The point isn’t to denounce the three since they’re essentially rookies, but they’re also just not getting the job done.

Restoring Lowry to the mix pushes everyone down a peg. Now there won’t be nearly as much of Wright, while Powell can go back to using his long arms and low dribble to explode against closeouts. Patterson and Tucker can resume being low-usage forwards who only hit standstill shots. Jakob Poeltl would still be a liability but at least he sets screens and has good hands to finish on rolls to the hoop.

New identity

Beyond the numbers, beyond the schemes, there’s just an undeniable shift in their intensity.

They’ve definitely had duds since the break, as any non-Spurs side would over the course of the regular season, but it’s exhilarating when they dig in their heels, it’s exciting when they hold everyone accountable.

It’s exciting when Ibaka stops his first practice with the team to call out mistakes. Apparently, it’s the first time any player has done that all year, which makes perfect sense. It’s exciting when Tucker challenges DeRozan to step up defensively, and DeRozan responds with the “I got you” then backs it up with hustle plays.

It’s exhilarating when Tucker nails a corner three early as they mount comebacks in the fourth, then turns to fire up the crowd. It’s even more exhilarating when Tucker makes Jack Armstrong squeal with joy in the post-game interview. Say what you want about Jack, but he’s a basketball purist, so to him, Tucker’s intensity and energy is like heroin in the veins.

Let’s also be completely honest: The Raptors’ core pieces were largely finesse players. DeRozan’s toughest stands are against the officials. Lowry is adorably scrappy, not ruthlessly intimating. Jonas Valanciunas is not to be fucked with, but there isn’t a single mean bone in his body. Nobody was afraid of the Raptors, nobody was afraid to punk them either.

Nowadays? Right off the bat you had Carroll shoving Isaiah Thomas and his water pistol fingers to the ground. Then you get Ibaka landing a right jab to the face after Robin Lopez spazzed out more than his goofy hair. Jamaal Magloire is getting fines after telling Nikola Mirotic how they do shit on Kennedy Road. Jerry Stackhouse might be 42 but he’s constantly wishing that a mother fucker would. Then there’s the scowling figure of Tucker on top of all that.

If they proved anything since the break, it’s that you can’t fuck with these Raptors. You’re not answering to skinny youths like Bebe or Ross no more. They’re the aggressors now. Ujiri brought in scrappers to match Lowry’s pitbull mentality, and we’ve seen a fight from this team that was hauntingly absent during their many letdown losses in January.

A word of caution

Before we get too excited (too late), it’s important to remember that nothing is ever promised when it comes to the Raptors.

First and foremost, we don’t know how Lowry performs when he returns. The shot might not be there and he could be out of condition. He is this team’s driving engine and the Raptors need him at 100 percent or they will struggle in the playoffs, especially on offense.

Second, and it can’t be stressed enough, but these are the Raptors. It’s not hyperbole when I say to never assume anything with this team. They’ve struggled to translate regular-season success over to the postseason, and there is still very little consistency. Just about a week ago (hat toss) they conducted a players’ only meeting after getting throttled by OKC. It’s a work in progress.

But close your eyes and just dream for a second: This is the most talent the franchise has ever had, their defense is now elite, their offense is elite when their star players are healthy, and they have enough depth to run 10-deep. This is the second-best team in the East when healthy (even Zach Lowe thinks so) and quite honestly, the Cavaliers aren’t looking all that sharp.

If — and it’s a big if —Lowry comes back right, the Raptors could be really freaking good.