Holly MacKenzie - Raptors.com
Kyle Lowry can cross another item off his 2014-2015 NBA season to-do list. On Monday evening the league announced that Lowry was named Eastern Conference Player of the Month for games played in December. He is just the second Raptors player to win the award in team history, joining Chris Bosh (January 2007) in the record books.
The point guard’s strong play during DeMar DeRozan’s absence allowed Toronto to compile an 11-7 record without him. Lowry posted averages of 22.3 points, 8.9 assists and 4.2 rebounds in December. He shot 46 percent from the floor and 40 percent from beyond the arc and was the only player in the NBA to average more than 20 points and 8.5 assists for the month.
Lowry and the Raptors are getting ready to kick off their second-longest homestand of the season on Thursday night against the Charlotte Hornets. After holding the top spot in the eastern conference for a franchise-record 60 days, a loss to the Golden State Warriors and a victory by the Atlanta Hawks knocked the Raptors from its first-place spot in the East. Tired legs at the end of the five-game trip contributed to the team dropping its final game on the west coast to the Phoenix Suns. An extended run at Air Canada Centre is welcomed after spending much of December on the road.
“We have a long homestand we’re going home to prepare for and that’s what we’re going to focus on,” Lowry said after the loss in Phoenix. “It’s a long season. It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon.”
Another item Lowry is eager to cross off the list is DeRozan���s return to action. The team is expecting the swingman to rejoin the team during the upcoming homestand. Although Lowry has been masterful in his attempts to minimize the void in 18 games without him, the Raptors are glad to know he will be returning soon.
Head coach Dwane Casey has been patient with his squad as they have navigated the waters without DeRozan, but wants to see a better defensive effort from his team.
“I’m not as concerned about our offense as much as I’m concerned about establishing a style of play that’s sustainable,” Casey said. “We’re making shots and scoring a lot of points, but offensively and defensively we’ve got to get a style that’s sustainable.
“We know what the style is. Getting to it is key. We’ve had some success playing a certain style, but we know that style is not sustainable, especially in the playoffs. It’s nobody’s fault. It’s kind of the way we evolved, kind of morphed into that style of play.”
While most expected the team to feel the hit of DeRozan’s injury on the offensive end of the floor without his 19.4 points per game, it was on the defensive end where Toronto has struggled most in his absence. DeRozan has been with Casey since his first day in Toronto. His familiarity with Casey’s defensive schemes — as well as with the starting lineup he so frequently plays with — is something that is difficult to replace. Although the offensive success has been a pleasant surprise, the team understands it needs to be better on the defensive end of the floor in the second half of the season.
“There’s no room to panic or anything like that, but we’ve got to get back to Toronto and get back to basics, defensively,” Casey said. “We’re going to start from scratch. Mentally we’ve got to get revved back up again and turn it back on again and not let the grind of the NBA season grind us down.
“We’ll get back to basics and we’ll get it corrected.”