PHOENIX—Damon Stoudamire did a tremendous amount of good in his brief tenure with the Toronto Raptors as an NBA rookie of the year, a tireless competitor and the heartbeat of a conglomeration of expansion-year castoffs who somehow managed to cobble together 21 wins — many on the back of Stoudamire’s unrelenting will, and unwillingness to be OK with defeat.

He also helped make Kyle Lowry the point guard he is today and — forget 1995 — that would be Stoudamire’s most important contribution to the franchise.

“Damon Stoudamire was the ultimate vet for me,” Lowry said Friday, discussing his teammate with the Memphis Grizzlies a dozen years and a day ago. “Damon was the one that kind of started me to understanding things, and always told me to be patient and work hard.”

The context of Lowry’s praise of Mighty Mouse was simple: It was Nov. 1, 2006 when Lowry made his NBA debut, coming off the bench behind Stoudamire, and a discussion of that game and the early influences on Lowry’s career centred on the likes of Stoudamire, Shane Battier, Mike Miller and Brent Barry — all of whom helped Lowry navigate the NBA world.

And because high-level athletes aren’t wired like normal people, Lowry recalled that career-opening win in vivid detail.

“Yeah, I remember,” Lowry said. “It was triple overtime, I think? I didn’t play until, I think, late in the third quarter. Nate Robinson was killing us. Coach put me in to stop him.

“I remember it like it was yesterday. I got a big steal on Jamal Crawford. He was trying to shoot a game-winner and I stole the ball. We went to another overtime. It was a fun game. I think I had 10 rebounds that game, too. I played well.”

A quick check and Lowry is bang-on: He played 28:10 of the game’s 63 minutes and did indeed have 10 rebounds and two steals, while Robinson had 14 points in 18 minutes for the New York Knicks, who eked out a 118-117 triple-overtime victory in Memphis.

You always remember your first, right?

“It was a special night. My mom was down there, my family was with me …” he said. “When your dreams finally come true, you kind of remember those types of things.”

From that auspicious debut, Lowry is now one of the more fierce competitors in the NBA and one of its truly elite point guards. He took whatever lessons those veterans taught him to heart while riding out trades from Memphis to Houston and from Houston to Toronto, where he blossomed into a four-time all-star and is off to a blistering start to the 2018-19 season.

Against some odds for a headstrong young man who can be a bit of a contrarian, never afraid to speak his mind.

“I never thought I’d be in this position,” Lowry said. “I knew I’d work hard enough to get here but, you know, the opportunity didn’t look like it was ever going to show its face, and when it did I just took advantage of it. I worked as hard as I possibly could when the opportunity came.”

Lowry began Friday night’s game here against the Suns as the NBA leader in assists at 11.1 per game, riding a string of six games with 10 or more. If he got to seven against the Suns it would tie a franchise record held by — yes — Stoudamire.

Lowry’s decision-making with the ball has seldom been better for as long as it’s been this season. It’s obviously easier to rack up assists when Serge Ibaka, Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green and Jonas Valanciunas are shooting at a high level most nights, but Lowry’s also playing more “relaxed,” his coach says.

“Obviously he is seeing things clearly,” Nick Nurse said. “There’s not a lot of frustration out there. He’s obviously out there playing hard and fighting, but he seems to be confident. He is confident things are going to be okay.”

No yelling?

“I don’t think so,” joked Nurse. “He’s only had one or two where he has yelled at anyone really, and that’s a good sign.”

There’s no doubting Lowry’s place in the Raptors’ hierarchy, through franchise history or in this specific group. There’s no doubt he’s supplanted Stoudamire, Alvin Williams, Jose Calderon or whoever else can be put on the “best point guard” list. He’s the soul of this team and, even though he’s Toronto’s eldest statesman, he plays like a kid. He’s got a role much like those whose names he rattled off as key reasons why he is where he is.

“I’ve been the oldest guy on the team the last three years, I’m always going to be the vet,” he said. “My guys, they keep me young. They keep my spirits up, they keep me feeling like I’m 22, and I always enjoy being around them.”

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