Kyle Lowry is another NBA player to make headlines following free agency. The Villanova product has officially made his decision to stay a member of the Toronto Raptors. Lowry follows behind other players like Blake Griffin, who have also decided to stay with their teams. It is a big move for the Raptors, who will look to challenge the Cleveland Cavaliers in the East.
The decision
The Raptors are looking to keep their core players in Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, Jonas Valanciunas, and others. Lowry said that he still believes in the team being able to compete for a championship.
Lowry has commented on his decision to stay with the Raptors via The Players' Tribune. He stated, "At the end of the day, this was an easy decision," He continues saying, "And all those roads... they all led me back to the same place: home." He has spent the past five seasons in Toronto after being with Memphis and Houston early in his career.
The point guard has pride in playing for his team and calls it his true home. He realizes that this is where he is supposed to be at in his career. Lowry believes that a championship is possible in the future for the team. He states, "My heart is telling me that this is the best city in the world, with the best basketball fans in the world,"
He continues, "It's telling me that the Raptors can be a championship-level team, sooner than later." Lowry truly believes in the North.
Career year
The great point guard is only 31 years of age, so he still has a lot of basketball in front of him. He averaged career bests this season with 22 points and 7 assists, along with 4.8 rebounds per game. Kyle is 6-feet-tall and he has a lot of speed to finish at the rim. Despite his small size, he also has a lot of power to drive through opposing players.
Additionally, he can also shoot from the three-point line and has a decent mid-range shot.
Injury history
Durability is an issue with him though as he was limited to 60 games this season due to a right wrist injury that required surgery. He also missed a game due to an ankle injury against the Cavaliers in the playoffs. Granted, they were still going to lose the series with or without him in the lineup.
It can be argued that the Raptors know about the issue and that is why they signed him to a three-year deal, instead of five. Lowry will surely be looking to get back in stride and be the great player that he is. He will be looking to make noise in the East and look to win a championship. The Raptors are a few pieces away from grabbing a championship, but they will have to go through LeBron and the Cavaliers.
The future
If it ain't broke, why fix it? The future for the Raptors is looking pretty good as they have signed new players and have kept their stars on the roster. The team is looking to battle contenders in the Eastern Conference, specifically the Cavaliers. They will also have competition with the Boston Celtics and the Washington Wizards.
They also have signed recent member Serge Ibaka to a deal to stay with the team. The team still needs to look for members to improve their bench. They lost P.J. Tucker to the Rockets. Rumors have surfaced in possibly trading Cory Joseph as well.
The Raptors will be looking to finish what they started. They are all in to win a championship behind their star Kyle Lowry.
