Small in stature but not in performance, Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry has earned accolades for his brilliant year.

Editor’s Note: We are pleased to bring you new Staff Writer Ratan Vadhiparthi’s first post.

Entering training camp this season, Toronto Raptors fans and personnel alike were amazed to see the condition Kyle Lowry had gotten himself into in the off-season

The point guard came in looking the leanest he ever has looked in his career in order to have his best season.

Feb 14, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Western Conference guard Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors (30) dribbles the ball as Eastern Conference guard Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors (7) defends in the third quarter during the NBA All Star Game at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Peter Llewellyn-USA TODAY Sports[/caption]

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Last season after the All-Star break Lowry’s level of play petered off as his body gradually broke down; conversely this year “skinny” Kyle has been able increase his production in the second half of the season. He has seen his scoring average and assists per game numbers go up after returning from All-Star week, while improving his FG%. He also ranks fifth in the East in Plus/Minus at +6.1/game in the 22 games since the break, compared to +4.7/game prior. He has been able to do this while ranking second in the league in minutes per game at 37.3 minutes.

The 52 win Toronto Raptors have a top 5 offense this year and Kyle Lowry is the driving force behind their success. He is third in the Association averaging 80.1 front court touches per game. With Lowry on the court, the Raptors have an offensive rating of 108.8 and with him off the court their offensive rating drops to 101.5. For comparison the Spurs are third in the NBA with an offensive rating of 108.9 and the Bulls are twenty-sixth with 101.5. Kyle is truly a triple threat with the ball in his hands. Back off him and he can rise up in an instant and drain a shot. Crowd him and watch him explode by you to either finish in the paint or find the open man with a pass. This makes him an extremely tough cover for opposing defenses.

The Villanova product has turned into the teams’ best outside shooter this year shooting a career high 38.6% from beyond the arc. In a league where having a point guard who excels at shooting from long range is imperative to success, Lowry is exactly that for Toronto. He ranks sixth in the NBA in three pointers made with 203. He is the primary reason Toronto is the third best three point shooting team in the league in terms of percentage.

His shooting is also extremely important to this team because it allows him to coexist with DeMar DeRozan. Lowry’s success off the ball has given one of the best drivers, Derozan, the space he needs to succeed. Kyle is one of the top catch and shoot players the league has. He converts 45.6% of these attempts which puts him ahead of players like Klay Thompson and Kyle Korver. DeRozan only needs a sliver of space to make his way to the rim and defenders having to concern themselves with Lowry provides that.

Lowry has leveraged this shooting this to both successfully get to the rim and the free throw line as well. He scores 5.5 points/game off drives, which is more than players like John Wall, Tony Parker and Chris Paul. This ability also immensely helps his teammates as he can get the defense to tilt towards him as he gets around his defender and then kick to ball to Derozan who can feast on rotating defenders.

He has one of the most effective pump fakes in the league and almost every game uses it to get his defender in the air and draw a foul. The ability to get to the free throw line is a huge asset in the NBA. It is a two headed monster which gets your team easy points and gets it into the penalty situation quickly.

The 6-foot point guard plays both sides of the ball for his team. He is a tenacious defender who makes life difficult for opposing ball handlers. He ranks third among point guards in ESPN’s Defensive Real Plus Minus statistic. Kyle plays the passing lanes well without gambling to compromise the defense behind him to swipe 2.1 steals a game, which is tied for second in the league.

Lowry’s slighter frame now affords him the quickness to stay in front of his man yet has not taken away his strength in contending with bigger players. This is crucial for Canada’s Team because Lowry has played over 1000 minutes this season with Cory Joseph. In that lineup, Kyle takes on the bigger guard and has not allowed himself to be bullied despite the size disadvantage.

This becomes even more important down the stretch of close games. Casey has almost exclusively gone with the two PGs along with Demar in clutch (+/- 5 points in the last 5 mins) situations. Lowry’s defensive and offensive abilities have helped Toronto get the most clutch wins (30) in the league. Their 62.5 winning percentage in this situation is third behind only the Warriors and Spurs.

Kyle Lowry’s best year has been essential in parlaying 2016-17 into the Raptors’ greatest season. This team and its rabid fan base needed a positive jolt after what happened to end its last season. The Raptors have emerged as perhaps the biggest threat to the Cavaliers in the East and Toronto’s most important weapon is its small point guard. History should reflect that Kyle Lowry has been one of the NBA’s 15 best players this season.