Lowry is averaging 19.8 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists on a Raptors team that currently has the second-best record in the Eastern Conference. He's looking to make his sixth straight All-Star appearance.

On Thursday, the reserves for the 2020 NBA All-Star Game will be announced.

Among those hoping to hear their name called in Eastern Conference is Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry, who has been recognized as an All-Star in each of the last five seasons.

Lowry missed 11 games with an injury near the start of the season, but he's taken his game to another level ever since, to the point where he's now averaging 19.8 points, 7.4 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game on the season. That's the third-most points, the second-most assists and third-most rebounds he's ever averaged in a single season in his NBA career.

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While Lowry faces some stiff competition among guards - Ben Simmons, Khris Middleton, Jaylen Brown, Bradley Beal, Malcolm Brogdon and Spencer Dinwiddie each have a strong case to be an All-Star this season - Raptors head coach Nick Nurse said prior to the team's game against the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday that it "wouldn't make any sense" if his point guard isn't one of those who hears their name called on Thursday.

"If that guy's not on an All-Star ballot, considering the last 18 months, the last six months and where our team is - that's unfathomable to me," Nurse said of Lowry. "That anybody that has decent knowledge of the game or the NBA would keep him off, it wouldn't make sense to me. It wouldn't make any sense to me at all."

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Lowry's numbers might not pop quite as much as some of the aforementioned players, but he's the heart and soul of a Raptors that currently has the second-best record in the Eastern Conference despite losing two starters in the offseason in Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green. He continues to be one of the better two-way players in the Eastern Conference, particularly at his position, and his skill set makes him someone who could fit on any team in the league.

So will Lowry be named an All-Star this season? We'll know for sure on Thursday, but based on the season he is having and the respect he's gotten from the coaches in each of the last three seasons, there's a good chance that he will.

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