Raptors Cage

Is Kyle Lowry a legitimate MVP candidate?

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One thing you probably knew: Kyle Lowry is pretty damn good.

lowry-kyle

The Toronto Raptors are off to a roaring start this season, with a franchise best 15-4 record. Lowry is the team’s most important player, but we’ve known that for a while know. Given the fact that the Raptors sit atop the Eastern conference and the fact that Kyle Lowry is leading them, forget All-star, does that qualify Lowry as an MVP candidate?

Let’s dig into some stats. Lowry is first in estimated wins added in the East, and first in value added. Those are two pretty solid metrics that indicate a players’ worth. Another advanced stat that’s basically mainstream nowadays is PER. Lowry is 2nd in the East, sitting a touch behind  Dwyane Wade who has played 8 less games. When you translate those stats to league-wide, Lowry sits 5th, 5th, and 9th respectively.

What’s the point of all this? I’m going to argue that Kyle Lowry has been the MVP of the Eastern conference thus far at the very least. Simply put, he’s getting it done on both ends of the court, and is the driving force behind the Raptors success.

He’s averaging 20.6 PPG, 6.8 APG, and 4.9 PPG. Those are superstar-esque numbers. At this point in time, it is hard to make a case against Lowry as a top 5 point guard in the NBA – the guy is simply dominating both ends of the court.

But more than anything, all he cares about is winning.

“[Kyle] texted me after the Laker game. [He said] ‘I shot the ball too much. We weren’t in sync. We will win in Sacramento and I will play better,’” Ujiri said. “Coming from the leader of your team, that’s the voice that you want to hear. That’s the confidence you want. He’s not over-confident, but he knows how to carry himself.”

If the season were to end today, Lowry would legitimately have a case for MVP. It’s certainly possible that his numbers may see a slight dip, and that the Raptors may not keep up this winning pace. However, if the Raptors are sitting atop the East at the seasons end, Lowry has to be in the MVP conversation. At the very least, he should be making his first All-Star appearance in February.

At this point, claiming that  John Wall or Kyrie Irving are better is laughable

 

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