Kyle Lowry is Clearly Better Off Without DeMar DeRozan

We didn’t expect this much of an improvement.

Through the first week and a half of the NBA season, the Toronto Raptors have looked like the definitive best team in the Eastern Conference. Having already dispatched their biggest competition in the Boston Celtics, the Raptors looked primed for a deep postseason ​run this year.

One man who should be partially credited with the team’s success is star point guard Kyle Lowry, who is somehow putting up better numbers this year in the absence of former teammate and best friend DeMar DeRozan.

Kyle Lowry leads the league in assists with 10 per game. What’s perhaps more impressive is how he’s getting everyone involved:



1.6 assists to Kawhi
1.6 to Danny
1.8 to Pascal
2 to Serge
1 to JV
1 to OG



— William Lou (@william_lou) October 26, 2018

​​Playing alongside ​Kawhi Leonard instead of DeRozan, Lowry is putting up some of the best stats of his career. He is leading the NBA in assists to the tune of ten dimes per game as well as averaging roughly 20 points per contest, both significantly better than last year’s marks.

​​Clearly ​Lowry is saddened by DeRozan’s move to San Antonio, but that melancholy has by no means translated to poor play.

Of course it’s only a small sample size, but if Lowry can continue this pace, the Raptors might become contenders for more than just the Eastern Conference Title.

Thus article first appeared on 12up.