You thought Kyle Lowry had an insane start to the season last year? This year has been even better for the 29-year old Philadelphia native.

Lowry is establishing himself as a top-five point guard in the NBA and the main man in the Eastern Conference, on career-best pace for points (22 ppg), rebounds (4.9 rpg) and steals (2.5), while shooting a career best 42 per cent from downtown. He's had a better start to the season than last year, to the point where you're starting to hear his name in the league MVP race.

PHOENIX, AZ - FEBRUARY 02: Kyle Lowry #7 of the Toronto Raptors high fives head coach Dwane Casey during the first half of the NBA game against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena on February 2, 2016 in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) More

The one concern is his durability. Last year, Lowry crashed shortly after the All-Star break, playing in only 17 of a possible 29 games to close out the season, and sparingly at that, while averaging 15 points, 4.5 rebounds and just over five assists, while shooting just 37 per cent from the floor. However, there are a couple of differences this season that could prevent or at least limit the wear and tear of the Raptors' point man.

The offence: Dwane Casey's offensive system has been quite basic through his tenure as the coach of the Raptors. The team ranks near the bottom of the league in assists per game (only Detroit and the Lakers average less) and save Lowry, DeMar DeRozan and Cory Joseph, no other Raptor averages more than 1.3 assists per game. When the team isn't on the fast break, Casey runs an abundant amount of isolation basketball in half-court sets, which caters to DeRozan's skill set with Lowry running to the 3-pt line as a fallback plan. DeRozan surprisingly still has a higher usage rate (28.0) than Lowry this year (26.8), although Lowry is the go-to when the Raptors are on the fast break. Other plays that stand out for the Raptors are baseline cuts to pop out around the 3-point line and take the jumper off a screen.

The offseason transformation: The story is well told. Lowry came out of the offseason looking better than ever. His side of the story is his desire to overcome the late-season struggles he had last season. Lowry was given the reins to the team when DeRozan missed 22 games last season, contributing to his wear-down. During that span, Lowry stepped up and averaged 22 points and just under nine assists while playing over 35 minutes per game. With Casey's offensive strategy, Lowry was taking a lot of hits going to the basket. Those collisions added up and showed themselves near the end of the season. Lowry prepared himself to take on a bigger role this year, to stay as durable as possible throughout the season and go toe-to-toe with some of the best in the league.

The Eastern Conference has seen a decline in talent at the point guard spot recently. The likes of Rajon Rondo and Deron Williams have moved out west, while Derrick Rose and Goran Dragic are trying to find their games after taking back seats on their teams. Even Jeff Teague has struggled to stay healthy and Kyrie Irving hasn't played a game this season, although he's reportedly set to return over the weekend.

Only John Wall, Reggie Jackson, Isaiah Thomas and Kemba Walker remain as the cream of the crop in the East. Thomas has played well for the Celtics, seeing a higher usage rate than Lowry, however he hasn't been as efficient (Thomas has a 22.7 PER to Lowry's 25.8).

Reggie Jackson has struggled to chip in on the defensive end and has been overshadowed by Andre Drummond as the key contributor in Detroit.

Story continues