sorry clutch i didn't know bleacher report articles were frowned upon in here but i took a little bit of time to put this together and think it is an enlightening read for our members. so i hope im not violating any rules by reposting this. but here goes... Kyle Lowry has come a long way from being the 24th selection in one of the worst drafts in recent history. Selected behind the likes of busts such as Adam Morrison, Saer Sene, Patrick O'Bryant, Hilton Armstrong, and countless others, Lowry is creeping into relevence in my NBA circles with his gritty play and never quit attitude. Soon he'll be creeping his way into the discussion of the top 10 PG's in the league. No, I'm not kidding. If you haven't had the pleasure of watching Kyle play, well, then you better find a way to get in front of a 42" plasma the next time the Rockets are on NBAtv. (I would say on TNT or ABC but the Rox weren't scheduled for any nationally televised games this year. Strange for a team in the top 15 of all relevant power rankings since the second week of the season.) While Kyle's averages seem modest at 8.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.1 steals, you have to look a little deeper to understand what makes him arguably the most important bench player in the NBA. Listed at a generous 6'0", Kyle's per 36 min ranks tell only half the story and are as follows: FTA (10th), OReb (1st), DReb (3rd), Total Reb (1st), Ast (9th), Stl (7th), Ast/TO (10th), and Charges Drawn (1st). He also leads the Rockets in on court / off court +/- with a +9.6. If there was a stat for hustle plays, I'm willing to bet the rent that Kyle would lead the league in that too. For the other half of the story, you need to look past the box score. Did I mention Lowry is the only 6 footer in the league with the ability to guard two positions? Despite his vertically challenged stature, Kyle holds opposing PG's to a PER of 15.0 and opposing SG's to 17.7. Not bad considering he gives away at least 4 inches to almost every opposing SG in the league. Kyle's versatility is integral to the success of the Rockets because it allows Aaron Brooks, the only legitimate scoring threat on the team, to play alongside him. The speed and pressure put forth by the Lowry-Brooks tandem makes them a near impossible cover for any team while not causing the Rox to give up too much on the defensive end. Having Lowry and Brooks on the floor together also helps both players focus on their strengths. On offense Lowry plays the 1 and on defense he covers the 2. This allows Lowry to fight for offensive rebounds more aggressively since he doesn't need to worry about stopping the ball after a missed basket. He has mastered sneaking in behind defenders as soon as they come down with an uncontested board and poking the ball away usually resulting in an offensive rebound for a teammate (with no mention of his play in the box score). This is a huge reason why the Rockets are 5th in the NBA in offensive rebounding despite starting the smallest center in NBA history, 6'6" Chuck Hayes. Brooks on the other hand gets to play off the ball which allows him to get open behind the line with more regularity. When you have a shooter on your team as lethal as Brooks, you have to find a way to get him open. If teams choose to guard Brooks 25 feet from the basket, he blows right by them and into the lane opening up the offense. People laughed at Rockets GM Daryl Morey when he said trading away Rafer Alston in a three team deal at the trading deadline that netted the Rockets Lowry made them better at the point guard position. How could it be that a guy who couldn't get significant minutes in Memphis could contribute on a playoff team? Well you have to look no further then the team that traded him. The Grizz have a history of being amongst the worst teams in the league when its comes to evaluating talent. I'm looking at you Stromile Swift. And you Marcus Banks. You too Darko. Lowry becomes a restricted free agent after this year and you can bet he will be making a nice deposit in his bank account this offseason. Whether it will be courtesy of the Rockets who declined to extend him this year or another team remains to be seen. For now Lowry is limited to being the leader of the best bench in the NBA along with 6th man of the year candidate Carl Landry, high flying rookie Chase Budinger, and 29 year old rookie center David Andersen. For now.
Sorry, didn't really read what you said, but I wanted to say: I LOVE KYLE LOWRY! His acquisition, along with Scola's, are the two smartest moves that Daryl Morey has made. We basically got Scola for some cash, and traded Rafer Alston (who is now bouncing teams) for a player that is #1 in the league at changing the pace of the game and drawing fouls. The dude creates turnovers, rebounds somehow, and even gets blocks! Philly attitude, indeed.
Nice article. Even with the job you did of describing his game, people cannot appreciate him until they actually watch him (as you mentioned). The guy has another gear that few players can reach for even a short time much less for an entire game. I'd prefer the Rockets hold on to him over Brooks if one has to go.
We past our deadline during the season to extend an extension to him. Our thinking is Morey would like to see what the outcome would be after the trade deadline and from there go on with re-signing him. He's still a hell of a player.
he really is a delight to watch. hes going to be one of those guys that if hes on your team you love him, if hes not then you cant stand the guy. he simply loves to play the game, something that you dont see in many players these days.
Great backup PG, not who you want as a starter or someone getting minutes down the stretch. His value is significantly below the MLE, around 4 years, $20 million. Also, I'm sure the stats you applied are for guards only - don't forget to mention that.
spot on. morey seems to like to let other teams set the market for our RFA's and then proceed to match their offer sheet (see carl landry).
That's a shame because it's a good read. Not that many quality rookie posts any more, nice to stumble on one. K-Low is about as good as anybody in the NBA on getting to the FT line, despite his stature (as mentioned) and his low recognition around the league (i.e. Kobe, Wade treatment). He hustles just about on every single possession and he's a PITBULL at the point guard position. Some of the rebounds he gets are insane, it seems he will rip somebody's arm off if he even has a minor chance at the ball. When he needs to, he can shoot the 3 and most of the time he's a automatic plus on the basketball court. I think he best defines this team.
5 star response. Wow. Good Job I'm still laughing at the people (mostly the so-called experts) who thought we would be lost and nearly tanking the season after we traded Rafer the Bricklayer away. Lowry and Brooks together are one of the most productive set of pgs in the league. Here's another kicker, both players are like under 25. That's why I am against most trades involving these two, because it is hard to find productive point guards. I know getting a player, like Bosh or Kevin Martin, would be great. But, power forward and shooting guard aren't a necessity, like point guard.
I'd say it's the fact he's not explosive enough to cause disruptions in a half court set (putting your head down and barreling to the basket doesn't work when defenses are set or adjusting to you), doesn't have an outside shot, and is most effective when he acts as a spark plug against a bench unit.
thanks for the kind words guys. i used to cover sports for the university of delaware so i like to think i can make a quality post when i find a worthy topic. the rockets were really lucky to get kyle. thank god the grizzlies wound up getting screwed in the 07 lottery and were forced into drafting mike conley.
I think that depends on who the other four starters are. Lowry's only weakness is his ability to shoot. So obviously he can't be a starter or play down the stretch alongside the likes of Battier, Ariza and Chuck Hayes. However, if our other starters were Yao, Scola, Budinger and somebody like Kevin Martin, Rip Hamilton or Joe Johnson, I think he'd be fine as a starter in crunch time. In fact, I'd love his ability to get to the line.
Lowry tends to be on the court in the closing minutes of close games. He's also (as the article stated) very good at getting to the line so he must be doing something right when barrels into set defenses. The article also stated that he leads the team in on court/off court +/- with a +9.6. Is that because he is a "spark plug against a bench unit?" I just don't see where you can rationally conclude that Lowry isn't deserving of minutes down the stretch.
Nice job. Kyle Lowry currently leads the league in: - drawing offensive fouls - offensive rebounding amongst PGs - (according to the Rockets) increasing the pace of the game when he enters Those are 3 distinct categories that he excels at. How many bench players can you say that about?
the only thing i can see stopping him is if he never develops an outside shot. he works hard so i think hell be able to get his %'s up to 45% FG, 35% 3pt within a year or two. if he can do that, i think were looking at a jason kidd type player. a triple double threat / game changer sort of guy. kyle is only 23, he's got a lot of years left in his tank and he's already shown he can perform at a high level if he has a few quality players around him. of course if he doesn't develop that shot i think he would be more like raymond felton without so many turnovers. (although i have to say felton has been playing a lot better this year then he has in the past)
