DeMar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry Finally Step Up to Carry Toronto Raptors

INDIANAPOLIS—The Toronto Raptors badly needed this 101-85 Game 3 win Thursday over the Indiana Pacers. Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan needed it even more.

“Kyle, your three-ball really hasn’t been going yet,” a Toronto reporter said, framing a pregame question, only to be interrupted by laugh-sighing Lowry.

“You don’t have to tell me that,” Lowry replied. “I’m 1-of-12. I know that.”

Moments later, Lowry was lamenting, even as he said so confidently. “We just want DeMar to get going in general… on the road or at home. We just want him to get going. I’m sure he will.”

He certainly did, going off for 21 on 7-of-19 shooting. It wasn’t efficient (another 0-of-2 from three), but it was an aggressive attacking performance. 

After winning their last two games to take a 2-1 series lead, the Raptors may have averted an identity crisis not seen before since Lowry arrived in 2012 to join DeRozan, drafted in 2009. 

What They Are

DeRozan has been the team’s leading scorer for the past four seasons*, while Lowry has been its top setup man, steals generator* and heartbeat.

*(Rudy Gay technically had more points per game in 2012-13 and more steals in 2013-14, but played only 33 and 18 games for Toronto, respectively.)

They’ve won the Atlantic Division the past three years and made the playoffs, all franchise records as well.

Lowry’s bulldog defense has been equally matched by his fearlessness on the drive and willingness to take big shots. He just notched career regular-season highs in three-point shooting (.388) and effective field-goal percentages, plus a career high in steals, tying Chris Paul for third league-wide. His 4.7 rebounds per game also matched a career high, while his 6.4 assists per game were similar to those since he became a full-time starter in 2010-11. 

DeRozan unleashed another season’s worth of Raptors highlights not seen since Vince Carter, carrying the scoring load for a squad that’s over-reliant on ensemble efforts otherwise. He served up career highs in points, three-point shooting percentage (albeit still a paltry .338) and PER. His field-goal and true shooting percentages were the highest since his rookie year. Rebounds and assists were the second highest of his career, marginally trailing last season.

All that was supposed to carry over to Lowry capitalizing on his second All-Star-caliber campaign and well-publicized summer slimming. And after a contract/career-year regular season spent quietly muffling the “DeRozan’s inefficient and one-dimensional” whispers, the national audience was also supposed to nod in appreciation. 

What They Weren’t (until Game 3)

Instead, a 100-90 Game 1 loss at home, their eighth-straight such stumble, re-awoke every possible demon: Last year’s sweeping disaster to the Washington Wizards. The Game 7 heartbreak from the Brooklyn Nets in 2014. Two stars saddled with insurmountable evidence they were largely to blame.

“There was that feeling like once playoffs start again, a lot of us that were there are going to remember that feeling and damn sure don’t want to feel that feeling again,” DeRozan previously wished with Mike Gantner of the National Post.

Yet, it was happening again, courtesy of Bleacher Report’s Insights:

Through …

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