What Does the Lowry Injury Mean for Toronto?
The Toronto Raptors' sweep of the Brooklyn Nets was supposed to be reason to celebrate Sunday night. After 25 years in the NBA, the franchise finally broke out the brooms, sweeping its first playoff series in a 150-122 blowout.
But any celebrations had to be muted as Kyle Lowry was forced to exit the game in the first quarter with an injury to his left ankle, according to the team.
After the game, Nick Nurse said he wouldn't speculate on the injury, but he did reveal that Lowry was taken for an MRI on his foot following the game. With the extent of the injury still unknown, it's not time to panic, but it's worth looking into what Lowry means to the Raptors.
Statistically, Lowry has been meant +1.1 points per 100 possession, according to Cleaning the Glass. That ranks fifth on the team behind Malcolm Miller, Marc Gasol, Pascal Siakam, and Terence Davis II, respectively.
If you want to tell Lowry that's all he's worth just +1.1 points, go for it. Instead, it's probably worth taking a more holistic approach to examining Lowry's value.
Earlier this season Nurse said the Raptors were Lowry's team.
"I think it’s clearly Kyle’s team,” Nurse said following the Raptors' third practice session in the NBA Bubble. “His care factor is up there, his intelligence factor is way up there. We’re in good hands with him as the leader of this team.”
That message was repeated following Sunday's game throughout the organization.
"It would hurt us a lot," Nurse said of losing Lowry. "All I can say is, you guys know how big a cog he is to this whole thing. He’s our most experienced, toughest leader we got."
"It’s going to be tough," Norman Powell said of playing without Lowry. "You know, he’s our leader. He’s our focal point when we are out there, on and off the court. So it’s going to take more effort from the guys knowing they are getting an opportunity to go out and play."
"I know we say it a lot, but he's very important for us," Serge Ibaka said. "He's our motor. Hopefully, he can be ready for the first game, because we need him big time, man. We need him big time."
The Raptors will have three days off before tipping off Round 2 on Thursday against the Celtics. It's possible they can manage one game without Lowry, but anything much longer than that could be disasterous.
