The Ultimate Case For Why Kyle Lowry Should Be An All-Star

Tonight the 2012 NBA All-Star reserves will be announced to the world on national television. 14 spaces are available for what feels like 20-something worthy candidates, with some of the league’s more successful teams such as Indiana, Philadelphia, Denver, San Antonio, and Dallas staring at the strong possibility of not sending a single representative to Orlando. In other words, making it this year may be more treacherous than your typical season. Experience a week long slump and you’re essentially out of contention (unless you play in either L.A. or New York).

If since the early days of January you’ve found yourself arguing in favor of Kyle Lowry’s worth as a legitimate All-Star candidate, let me say, first and foremost, that you’re absolutely correct. Whether it be as a guard or a wild card, Lowry deserves one of the Western Conferences seven available spots. Here are four reasons why:

Defense: To observe the number of points per possession Lowry is surrendering when offensive players choose to take him one on one in isolation, you may need to use a microscope. Right now he’s 13th best in the entire league, with a ridiculously low 0.56 PPP. With only 23 isolation plays to look at, Lowry is like a shut down cornerback with opposing point guards/coaches choosing to go the safer route and avoid him altogether.

He alerts teammates when a screen is being set on him, as opposed to the other way around. Only a few guys across the league are this vocal up front in instructing their big men how to play the pick and roll in particular situations.

He isn’t afraid to exert himself by helping a teammate and straying down on opponents working in the low post when the situation calls for it. This may be his biggest fault, but more often than not he’s able to recover in time.

According to BasketballValue.com, when Kyle Lowry is on the court, Houston is holding opponents to 0.9925 PPP. When he’s off the court, that number goes to 1.0799. He’s very, very important to what the Rockets do defensively.

Rebounding: Lowry is a slightly tall person compared to all men his age walking around in modern day society, but relative to the NBA’s labor force he’s an ant. Here are a few players who’ve fewer rebounds than Lowry so far this season (keep in mind he’s barely six-feet tall): Kendrick Perkins, Jermaine O’Neal, Hedo Turkoglu, Dirk Nowitzki, Joel Anthony, and teammate Jordan Hill.

In what’s probably the most impressive part about his nightly flirtation with a triple double, Lowry averages six rebounds per game. More than Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, and every single guard in the league.

Decision Making: Lowry is the 15th most efficient player in basketball (averaging 0.96 PPP) when it comes to handling the pick and roll, which is quite important when discussing the criteria that makes up a quality point guard in today’s NBA. According to Synergy, this is where 30% of Lowry’s offense comes from (up from approximately 20%, 0.87 PPP last year, which was good for 47th best in the league), and it’s a welcomed development.

Lowry runs the pick and roll with bad habits, or so it seems; a true testament to his overall skill set. Instead of reading and reacting to how the defense chooses to play him, Lowry looks as if he’s already decided what he’s going to do long before his screen arrives. He goes full speed at it, either pulling up for a quick three, driving hard to the basket, or settling in the mid-range. Of course, this isn’t what’s actually going on, but his ability to analyze all the moving parts and respond before the defense initiates its execution is a true testament to one of the smarter point guards we have in the league right now. It’s his stubborn gift.

If you still don’t believe Lowry is capable of making good decisions, here’s a fun little fact. According to 82games.com, he makes 4.1 assists per bad pass. Steve Nash logs a respectable 3.5.

Shooting: Lowry began the season on the type of offensive tear that’s nearly impossible to sustain. To punish him—a point guard—because of a shooting slump doesn’t make too much sense to me. For the record, here’s how he’s doing right now: He holds a better shooting percentage than James Harden and Wesley Matthews on three-pointers while all three are attempting the same attempts per game.

According to NBA.com’s Statscube, Lowry’s “clutch” numbers (the last five minutes of games where the scoring margin is within five points) are abnormally ridiculous. His usage rate jumps from 23.7% to 36%, he’s 100% on free-throws, and—make sure you’re sitting down for this—he’s knocking down 71% of his three-pointers. I can’t even begin to analyze that last number, but in regards to the usage rate Lowry is clearly depended on at times where the game is getting serious. He has the ball in his hands when things matter most. He’s the team’s offensive leader. He’s their All-Star…

Not everybody can make the team. I understand and accept this as a truth. But when you capture the overall body of work Kyle Lowry has molded together this season, you come to appreciate the unseen contributions someone with such a large amount of responsibility is forced to make. It’s a sink or swim league, and right now the Houston Rockets’ lone All-Star is the biggest reason why nobody’s drowning.

Twitter: @ShakyAnkles

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