Kyle Lowry Is Finally Adjusting to His New Offensive Role

Kyle Lowry looked a little out of sorts. One possession after miscommunicating with DeMar DeRozan on a swing pass that landed out of bounds, Lowry tried to float a tough pass over top of multiple defenders to Jonas Valanciunas, landing in the hands of Dante Cunningham. Those were two of his five turnovers on Wednesday night and one of 21 for the Toronto Raptors, leading to 29 points for the New Orleans Pelicans, free points that normally spell death against stars so potent.

The Raptors, though, figured things out, shaking off an unsightly start to roar back for a 125-116 victory. Lowry would prove instrumental in that turnaround, ultimately finishing with his first 20-point game of the young season and nearly notching his second triple-double. The discomfort in the opening minutes dissipated fairly quickly, just as his apparent discomfort in the Raptors' new offensive ecosystem is slowly fading away, too.

That Lowry struggled out of the gate is little secret. Over his first nine games, he averaged 11.8 points on 37.6-percent shooting from the floor and a 32.7-percent mark from long range, getting to the line just 1.7 times per-game. He was still leading the team with 6.6 assists and chipping in five rebounds each night, but his steals—normally a bellwether for his aggressive defensive contributions—were down and his normally robust on/off splits were modest. He'd eventually hit 13 games in a row without scoring 20 points, his longest such stretch since his first, somewhat painful year as a Raptor.

The root cause seemed to be a combination of factors. Lowry started slow a year ago, too, and there was little concern that his 3-point shooting wouldn’t normalize with a larger sample. He had also been taking a beating, hurting his left arm and his hip, dealing with back soreness, and taking two hard shots to the head.

More than anything, though, the Raptors' philosophical shift on offense has shifted Lowry's role, and even though he's changed roles and schemes often in his career, that adjustment takes time. Raptors games used to start with Lowry running a steady volume of pick-and-rolls, getting a rhythm and a feel for the defense as he worked to get the other starters involved early. That responsibility has largely shifted to DeRozan early on, now, turning Lowry into more of a secondary playmaker and spot-up shooter.

Lowry's usage rate has dropped from a three-year average of 25.5 percent to 20.6, and he's touching the ball just 29.1 times in the frontcourt per-game, down dramatically from 70.3 a year ago. He's finishing fewer plays as a pick-and-roll ball-handler, too, from eight to 4.1 per-game despite his proficiency as a scorer in those situations.

This is not necessarily a bad thing, with the Raptors wanting to vary their offense, empower a larger number of players to succeed within the offense, and keep Lowry as fresh as they can for the playoffs (he's averaging his fewest minutes since 2012-13). He's also responded by producing for his teammates more efficiently in the touches he does get—his overall scoring efficiency is down, but it's notable how high his assist rate is even with the ball in his hands far less.

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It is different, though, and it's taken their best player out of the game some early on. Lowry playing 87.4 percent of his minutes with DeRozan, up significantly from last year, is part of the issue, and that percentage should come down as Dwane Casey tightens the rotation and the vaunted Lowry-and-bench groups begin to log more minutes.

Lowry is figuring it out. He's too smart and too good a player not to, and there shouldn't have been too much worry about him finding his place eventually. He's scored 17 or more points in five straight games, averaging 19 on 48.3-percent shooting, a 38.5-percent mark on threes, and 4.6 free-throw attempts per game while upping his rebounds and assists.

Lowry once again took a beating Wednesday, the victim of an Anthony Davis rake to the eyes a DeMarcus Cousins knee to the midsection for his league-leading 10th charge drawn of the season. Those have always been the plays that define Lowry as the gamer that he is, and he wouldn't be Lowry if a breakthrough game didn't come with a couple of hold-your-breath defensive moments.