Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
7) Toronto Raptors, Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan
If we had voted on the best guard tandems in the NBA at last season’s All-Star break, it’s likely that Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan would be ranked higher on this list.
They were leading one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference as the Toronto Raptors were viewed as a team that could potentially push Cleveland and Atlanta when the post-season came around. Then Paul Pierce and the Washington Wizards happened and all of a sudden the Raptors’ backcourt’s star is shining a little less brightly.
It actually started post All-Star Break. Kyle Lowry, who was the sparkplug behind the Raptors, returned from the all-star break as if he did not realize there was a second half to the season.
Pre All-Star: 18.6 ppg/7.2 apg/4.8 rpg/42 fg%
Post All-Star: 15.1 ppg/5.4 apg/4.5 rpg/37 fg%
That’s a drastic decline in production and it continued into the playoffs as Kyle Lowry and his backcourt mate were handled by the Wizards’ tandem of John Wall and Bradley Beal.
Kyle Lowry and Derozan are a talented pair, each with a strength they bring to the table. Lowry is small but physical pick and roll point guard who makes a living working his way to the free throw line during the regular season. DeMar DeRozan is a player who can take the ball and flat out score.
The problem is each player also has weaknesses that can rear its ugly head at the wrong time.
Generously listed at 6 foot tall, the physical way Kyle Lowry plays wore him down as the season wore on and when the playoffs began, the whistles were tougher to come by. DeMar DeRozan’s scoring ability is there, but with it is a penchant for the ball to stop and for questionable shot selection.
What does that mean for where this duo stands in the NBA hierarchy? Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan are a talented duo who rightfully can be placed among the top-10 tandems, but are their flaws inherent and bound to repeat or is there still room to evolve as players?
-written by Oz Baig
Next: 6 - A Hollywood Tandem