Chasing All-Star Berths a Thing of the Past for Kyle Lowry
At one point in his career, Miami Heat guard Kyle Lowry was a lock for the NBA All-Star Game.
He made six straight appearances from 2015-20 with the Toronto Raptors. The streak ended last season and is will likely continue his first year with the Miami Heat. While Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro made the Top 10 in the first fan ballot released Thursday, Lowry was absent.
It was expected because the Heat's new Big Three is Butler, Adebayo and Herro. The omission shouldn't devalue Lowry. He's been just important as any player in the Heat's 24-15 start.
Lowry, who is averaging 13.7 points and 8.3 assists, has fit in since being acquired in a trade last summer that included Heat fan favorite Goran Dragic. Some questioned the move because of Lowry's age (he turns 36 in March), but he has made believers out of everyone inside FTX Arena.
And he's done it with the grit the Heat covet. As Brady Hawk of Five Reasons Sports pointed out, Lowry has drawn more charges than 19 teams this season. Last month Butler referred to Lowry as "annoying" because of his style of play.
These are the traits _ not an All-Star appearance _ the Heat and fans should focus on. Besides, Lowry could use the down time at the break so he can rest for what appears a potential deep run in the Eastern Conference playoffs. In a recent interview with USA Today, coach Erik Spoelstra stopped short of calling Lowry the most impactful player on the roster.
“His brain speed and IQ for the game is at such a high level that it really has a multiplying effect on everybody else on the roster,” Spoelstra said. “Those classic Hall of Fame point guards have that kind of impact on your team. Most of it is so subtle. I’ve always been a big fan of Kyle, and a lot of it has been because of being on the other side competing against him. I’ve seen how he can impact winning.”
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