NBA Toronto Raptors

Toronto Raptors PG Kyle Lowry Not Worthy of All-Star Starter Role

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Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors talks to referee Josh Tiven during the first half at Staples Center on December 27, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Harry How-Getty Images

A giant cheer went up across Canada on Thursday evening when Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry was named a starter for the NBA‘s Eastern Conference All-Stars.

While it was nice for Canadians like myself to see Lowry get the recognition after last year’s NBA All-Star snub, real basketball fans know that Jeff Teague of the Atlanta Hawks and Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat clearly deserved the starter’s role over Lowry simply because of their performance for the entire season.

But fan voting is mostly based on fan loyalty (bias), image and hype, which is what determines who starts and who sits — not common sense, logic or statistics. Lowry is an intelligent guy, and he even hinted that there might be others more deserving of the starter’s role than himself in the hours leading up to the announcement.

“Shocking. It would be humbling to be put in a category of top ten half-season players,” Lowry told Rogers Sportsnet earlier on Thursday. “It’s mind boggling, I don’t know what to say (about the prospect of starting) because it is something I never even imagined could happen in my career.”

Lowry made an incredible 11th-hour surge of more than 100,000 votes, from the last balloting update, with 805,290 ballots cast in his favor compared to 789,839 for Wade and just 83,900 for Teague. Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers was third with 535,873 votes.

Sure, Lowry has uplifted his team to its best start in franchise history and defied predictions by filling in for teammate DeMar DeRozan during the six-week long recovery from a groin injury. Lowry has the support of his teammates, the Raptors’ nationwide ‘We the North’ fanbase, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and pop sensations Justin Bieber and Drake.

His many supporters helped spur a mass-voting campaign which tipped the balance in Lowry’s favor. But sorry, my fellow Canadians, while my heart says yes and it’s fun to wave the flag, Lowry still doesn’t match the skill level and consistency of his more talented competitors. Even more, the numbers don’t back up his inclusion as a starter.

Wade has a superior Player Efficiency Rating (PEF) of 23.45 compared to Teague’s of 22.74 and Lowry’s 21.99. That’s partially because Lowry has an inferior field goal percentage of .428 this season and can’t match Wade’s more accurate .489 percentage or Teague’s .472.

Many of Lowry’s numbers have taken severe hits in Janaury when compared to the stats of Wade and Teague. Lowry’s shot selection has been terrible, and his shooting percentage has slumped to a horrid .357 from the field. Teague has again proven this month that he is a much more capable shooter, with an accuracy of .456 percent, while Wade registered .405. Turnovers have also been a killer for Lowry, who has coughed up the ball an average of 3.5 times per game compared to Teague’s 1.9 and Wade’s 2.6.

The Raptors have endured a miserable January, which is reflected in Lowry’s stats. The numbers above clearly prove that for at least a third of the season, Lowry’s performance clearly wasn’t worthy of the starter’s role.

It should also be mentioned that in head-to-head in games this season, both Teague and Wade have the edge over Lowry and the Raptors. Teague and the Hawks obliterated Lowry and the Raptors 110-89 on Jan. 16, when the two teams last met, with Teague outperforming Lowry in almost every stat category during the game. When the Raptors last faced the Heat on Nov. 2, Wade single-handedly led Miami to a 107-102 win with a double-double scoring 19 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.

Another negative factor in Lowry’s recent performance is that he’s developing a bad reputation with NBA officiating crews for being a potty mouth and constantly arguing every foul call or decision that doesn’t go his way. While some of his irritation with the referees is justified, in the long run, it will do his team no good for future 50-50 calls, and also doesn’t help build his starter’s case either.

So, if you ask me if Lowry deserves to be on this year’s All-Star roster, I would have no regrets saying yes because he has the numbers, quality and showmanship to be in the game. But if you asked me if Lowry is the top point guard in the Eastern Conference, there is no doubt the starter’s role should instead go to Teague or Wade.

Peter Mallett is a blogger for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @RedCardTheRef1 like him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

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