Inside The Heat

Chasing All-Star Berths a Thing of the Past for Kyle Lowry

After being an All-Star mainstay, Kyle Lowry likely to miss the event for a second straight season
Shandel Richardson|
Chasing All-Star Berths a Thing of the Past for Kyle Lowry
Chasing All-Star Berths a Thing of the Past for Kyle Lowry

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Miami HeatToronto Raptors

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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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star. TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here

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