The five stats you need to know about Kyle Lowry's incredible start to the season

Scott Rafferty

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The five stats you need to know about Kyle Lowry's incredible start to the season image

Few players have gotten the 2018-19 season off to a better start than Kyle Lowry.

MORE: How the Toronto Raptors have evolved to the new NBA

With averages of 17.9 points, 11.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game, the four-time All-Star has led the Toronto Raptors to a 10-1 start, a record only the Golden State Warriors can match. Lowry and the Raptors have already taken down the likes of the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers and Utah Jazz, and their only loss came when they were without Kawhi Leonard against a Milwaukee Bucks team that was undefeated at the time.

To put Lowry's all-around brilliance into perspective, let's take a deep dive into five of his stats that stand out the most...

11.5: Lowry's assists per game

It's the most in the league by more than 2.0 assists per game. The player closest to Lowry? Chris Paul, who is averaging 9.3 assists per game for the Houston Rockets.

Lowry has dished out double-digit assists in all but two games for the Raptors, including nine straight (and counting), which set a franchise record previously held by Damon Stoudamire.

 

Lowry reached double-digit scoring in all but one of those games, too, giving him eight double-doubles on the season. That ties him with Ben Simmons for the third-most in the league, trailing only Rudy Gobert (9) and Joel Embiid (10).

4.1: Lowry's assist-to-turnover ratio

Equally as impressive as Lowry leading the league in assists is how well he's taking care of the ball.

According to NBA.com, only nine players have a better assist-to-turnover ratio through 11 games. Of those nine players, only two — J.J. Barea and Frank Mason — have a higher usage rating than Lowry and only one — Justin Holiday — logs as many minutes per game.

Lowry's career-high in the assist-to-turnover department is 3.2, which he set in 2010-11. He then came close to breaking it in 2013-14, when he dished out 3.0 assists per turnover.

Other than those two seasons, Lowry has never had an assist-to-turnover ratio better than 2.9.

63.8: Lowry's True Shooting Percentage

Lowry's efficiency doesn't stop at his playmaking. In making 50.0 percent of his field goal attempts, 40.8 percent of his 3-point attempts and 81.1 percent of his free throw attempts, he currently has one of the best True Shooting Percentages in the entire league.

Entering Monday's matchup with the Utah Jazz — a game the Raptors won handedly — the combination of Lowry's shooting, scoring, passing and overall efficiency gave him a statistical profile similar to Steve Nash in his second MVP season.

 

Lowry's numbers across the board look even better after that Jazz game, putting him at 17.9 PPG, 11.5 APG and 4.5 RPG with a Player Efficiency Rating of 24.4 and a True Shooting Percentage of 63.8.

Kawhi Leonard has been getting more MVP buzz than Lowry to start the season, but Lowry has been just as good as his new teammate.

Need more convincing? Then this next one is for you...

17.4: Toronto's net rating with Lowry on the court

With Lowry on the court, the Raptors have an offensive rating of 122.9 and a defensive rating of 105.5, giving him the exact same net rating as Stephen Curry on the season.

With him on the bench? The defence gets slightly better, but Toronto's offensive rating craters to 88.9. 

As a result, the Raptors go from outscoring opponents by 17.4 points per 100 possessions with Lowry on the court to being outscored by 11.7 points per 100 possessions with him off the court.

The Raptors have even gotten it done in the minutes Lowry has been out there without Leonard. They obviously need Leonard to have any hopes of competing this season, but Lowry's ability to run the show without him in the regular season means the coaching staff can focus on keeping Leonard as fresh as possible for a potential NBA Finals run.

8: How many charges Lowry has drawn

The Kyle Lowry classic.

After leading the way in charges drawn last season, Lowry has already drawn eight this season, the most in the NBA.

A couple of those charges came in the closing minutes of Toronto's big win over Boston on Oct. 19. He followed the second one up with a clutch 3-pointer that put the Raptors ahead 107-99 with 2:08 to go, effectively putting an end to the game.

 

To go along with those charges drawn, Lowry has recovered 21 loose balls in 11 games, putting him behind only De'Aaron Fox (22) and Kevin Durant (22) for the most in the league.

And you wonder why his teammates — both former and current — call him a "pitbull."

Scott Rafferty

Scott Rafferty Photo

 

Scott Rafferty is an experienced NBA journalist who first started writing for The Sporting News in 2017. There are few things he appreciates more than a Nikola Jokic no-look pass, Klay Thompson heat check or Giannis Antetokounmpo eurostep. He's a member of the NBA Global team.