Title: Can Kyle Lowry and another four-man bench unit help keep the Raptors afloat?
Date: December 20, 2019
Original Source: The Athletic
Synopsis: In my latest for The Athletic Toronto, I wrote about the Raptors needing their old reliable, Kyle Lowry-and-bench units, to come through for them now more than ever.
There has been a long-running joke on Raptors Twitter that Kyle Lowry and any four bloggers, writers or tweeters could produce a positive net rating given a proper sample size. Obviously, they could not, no matter how stout the defence of a certain 5-foot-11 power forward scribe might be.
The Raptors are about to test the limits of the theory without the jest.
Down multiple key rotation players and a couple of potentially helpful depth pieces, the Raptors played their 122-118 victory against the Washington Wizards on Friday with 11 players, only nine of whom were genuine considerations for the rotation. They are without their highest-volume scorer, their most efficient secondary scorer and their best non-point guard playmaker and defensive anchor. You’ve digested this by now — things are somewhat dire, and the team needs the remaining depth pieces to step up in a meaningful way. (It would also be just great if people stopped hitting OG Anunoby in the face, thank you.)
Check it out on The Athletic.
Blake Murphy Sports Writing 