Everything Kyle Lowry

[golden]

I disagree. Lowry drilling pull up 3's at a 40% rate is one of the pieces that pushes this team up a tier from very good to great.

Or any team's primary ball-handler... tbh. That's one way to win in the modern NBA.

[KeonClark]

I'm still not convinced Gasol can give us a scoring punch. We got him for his intangibles (leadership, IQ, passing, defense). We need KLOE in the playoffs. Especially against a team like the Bucks or Celtics.. and definitely against the Warriors.

Gasol definitely has scoring "punch" ...guys we need both of them. Neither is the scorer they once were but we need a dozen plus points from both guys every night. Lowry needs to keep defense honest from range

[KeonClark]

Or any team's primary ball-handler... tbh. That's one way to win in the modern NBA.

[LJ2]

People are upset because he's overpaid. But his current skill matches the current totem pole. He's not even the "distributor" anymore. Gasol will relieve his duties.

He's still an important part of the team, but the offense won't completely fall apart if he's not hitting his shots in the playoffs this season.

[LJ2]

I disagree. Lowry drilling pull up 3's at a 40% rate is one of the pieces that pushes this team up a tier from very good to great.

Sure, but it's more of a luxury than a necessity this season.

[golden]

Gasol definitely has scoring "punch" ...guys we need both of them. Neither is the scorer they once were but we need a dozen plus points from both guys every night. Lowry needs to keep defense honest from range

The whole "Lowry is perfectly fine as a pure facilitator" narrative has limits.When your PG can't score/won't score, it shrinks the floor for everybody else and bogs down the offense. That zero point game vs. the Bucks could actually end up making a difference in seeding, home court, etc...

[golden]

Let's see how that works out in the playoffs. And Simmons can get to the rim and put pressure on the defense in many ways that Lowry can't (like passing over top of guys).

[LJ2]

Were any of the trade proposals including Lowry confirmed? It's probably a conversation for after the playoffs, but do you guys think Masai is looking to move him in the summer?

[inthepaint]

Were any of the trade proposals including Lowry confirmed? It's probably a conversation for after the playoffs, but do you guys think Masai is looking to move him in the summer?

It will mostly depend on how the team does this year, and where Leonard will be. Right now everyone on the team needs to be focused for this playoffs, the offseason should be the last thing in their minds now.

[LJ2]

Well hopefully Lowry isn't on this site then .

It just seems odd that nobody here has brought it up yet. If reports were true Lowry could be on his way out leaving no remnants of the Colangelo era.

[Puffer]

I would say the big question is the other way around. Lowry has shown himself to be a facilitator this year, but can he score when needed? His 3 pt struggles have been downright scary.

What I meant. Can he be a facilitator AND a scorer.

[DanH]

Well hopefully Lowry isn't on this site then .

It just seems odd that nobody here has brought it up yet. If reports were true Lowry could be on his way out leaving no remnants of the Colangelo era.

Hard to envision a Lowry trade that makes the team immediately better. So if Kawhi stays, he stays. If Kawhi walks and they want to lose more, they trade Lowry for a junk contract.

[planetmars]

Gasol definitely has scoring "punch" ...guys we need both of them. Neither is the scorer they once were but we need a dozen plus points from both guys every night. Lowry needs to keep defense honest from range

What I meant by punch is that I don't think Gasol will score more than JV did (12.8 ppg). Even if he plays more. I suspect Gasol will average below 10 as a Raptor. And that's not a "punch" in my opinion.

I could be wrong, but I see Gasol as more of a role player and not as a guy you rely on to put up points. I am happy to be wrong though.

[KeonClark]

What I meant by punch is that I don't think Gasol will score more than JV did (12.8 ppg). Even if he plays more. I suspect Gasol will average below 10 as a Raptor. And that's not a "punch" in my opinion.

I could be wrong, but I see Gasol as more of a role player and not as a guy you rely on to put up points. I am happy to be wrong though.

Yikes. That would be a huge disappointment imo. For reference, Danny green averages 10 pts

[golden]

What I meant. Can he be a facilitator AND a scorer.

That's the minimum expectation. But the Lowry tribe are out here playing defense early, trying to lower the performance bar to say he only needs to be a Rajon Rondo (without the slashing ability and less defense) so they can shift blame to everybody else if Lowry struggles again in the playoffs, ignoring the overall negative impact on your offense when your PG can't put any scoring pressure on the defense. Lowry needs to score consistently and make his 3's or else it's going to be really tough to win. Same goes with FVV to a lesser extent.