The Toronto Raptors are right in the thick of a battle for the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed, but they’ll have to do so without one of their best players.
The team announced Friday that All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry will be undergoing wrist surgery on Tuesday, and will probably be out of action until the playoffs.
Lowry first sustained the injury during a game on Feb. 15 against the Charlotte Hornets, the Raptors’ final game before the NBA All-Star break. He was fairly active during All-Star weekend, participating in the 3-point contest, as well as playing 18 minutes in the All-Star Game.
However, Lowry has missed Toronto’s two games following the break, including a huge win on Friday over the Boston Celtics.
The Raptors will certainly miss Lowry as they vie for one of the top spots in the East. In 56 games this season, he’s averaging 22.8 points and 6.9 assists per game. The point guard spot will certainly be a question mark for the Raptors down the stretch, as their depth at the position outside of Lowry is not very strong.
Toronto now will rely even heavier on Lowry’s fellow backcourt All-Star, DeMar Derozan. DeRozan’s currently fifth in the NBA in scoring this season, averaging 27.7 points per game.
Some of the stress will be taken off DeRozan, though, thanks to the Raptors’ trade deadline moves. They were able to acquire quality veterans in Serge Ibaka and P.J. Tucker in deals with the Orlando Magic and Phoenix Suns, respectively.
Heading into Monday’s action, Toronto currently is three games behind the Celtics for the No. 2 seed in the East, with 23 games remaining on its regular-season schedule.
Thumbnail photo via Jesse Johnson/USA TODAY Sports Images
