Last night, Kyle Lowry became the third-ever Raptor to be named an all-star starter. You may have heard something about it.
Given his stellar 2014-15 campaign, combined with Toronto’s place in the top three in the East and the fact that he was egregiously snubbed last season, that Lowry would make the team was never in question. Starter or not, he was going to be an all-star. It made the incessant plea for votes from everyone from the team to fans and even the media seem all the more unnecessary.
But question the merits of the voting process all you want, winning a starting spot is a remarkable achievement that encapsulates just how far the team and its fiery point guard have come. When this team first traded for Lowry, it wasn’t clear whether he was cut out to be the starter, let alone in the league’s biggest exhibition showcase. And what’s more, before last year’s playoff run the fan base wasn’t nearly engaged or large enough to carry out the social media campaign that allowed Lowry to jump Dwyane Wade and Kyrie Irving by over 100,000 votes in just a matter of weeks. Yet here we are.
“When I re-signed here this summer,” Lowry said from the basement of his home in Philadelphia via a team press release after the all-star announcement was made on Thursday night, “I said one of the great things is being able to play for an entire country. This is further proof how really special that is.”
He went on to thank the fans for their obvious contribution in making it all happen: “Thank you to the wonderful Raptors fans across the NBA, especially in Canada! I am amazed by your passion for our team and the support you have given me.”
So we know what it means for Lowry (hint: a lot), but what can this mean for the Raptors? Is it a fun but ultimately inconsequential byproduct of Lowry’s strong season? Or will this have a bigger impact on the team and its players?
Watch the reaction from Lowry’s teammates, who huddled together on the point guard’s couch to watch the international broadcast of the announcement, and it seems the latter is much more likely.
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While there isn’t exactly panic surrounding the team, there’s no question the Raptors’ rosy start has turned comparatively sour. It’s hard to overlook that the only wins for this team in 2015 have come against the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers (the NBA’s cure-all) and the Milwaukee Bucks, who share a combined record of 43-81.
Facing an most important stretch of the season headed to the All-Star break, the announcement couldn’t have happened at a better time.
There have been similar moments throughout the season: Lou Williams’ shaking LeBron James while the Raptors crushed the Cavaliers early this season; the Raptors’ bench stepping up in the absence of DeMar DeRozan; or the James Johnson dunk over Andre Drummond in Detroit, and how Chuck Hayes and the rest of the team stood up for their teammate in the mini-fracas that followed.
Lowry’s all-star nod, while seemingly an individual achievement, offers another moment for this team to rally around—something this group of players has become accustomed to when it comes to their star point guard.
As Patrick Patterson told me recently, this team has fully-embraced Lowry and the role he’s carved out for himself. “Kyle’s our leader,” Patterson said, “He’s the engine that gets us started, and we feed off of him. It all starts with Kyle.”
So at the halfway point of the season, and with the team looking to return to the fearless identity that had them sitting in first place in the Eastern Conference less than a month ago, Toronto has been given an opportunity, a tool to get back on track and reestablish their dominance—and sooner than anticipated.
I never saw the movie, but I assume Stella got her groove back somewhere toward the end of the third act. Here’s betting Lowry and the Raptors won’t have to wait that long to get theirs.
