Does a prime Lowry bolster this roster into contention?

[YogurtProducer]

The offense has taken a huge jump since those years. A guy like JV would have been quicker at learning the 3. Norm would already have a better jumper than he had back then. You can't take how a team and played back then and then compare to a different game when the offense is inflated with more focus on analytics and act like the players from that team wouldn't also be better offensive players if they came into the league today.

The East was bad that time and LeBron James for some free rides to the finals. But, the Indiana Pacers made the East finals this past year lol. The Knicks with one guy and a bunch of role players were giving teams trouble. That Raptors team played a very similar style and had more talent. I'll take Lowry over Haliburton for his overall impact. The East has been just as bad in recent years. The only difference is that the offense is inflated so it gives you the impression that teams are better. Take that team and put it in today's league and players on that team would also be better.

You’re overthinking it in my opinion. That 2019-2020 Raptors team was better than any iteration of those Lowry and Demar teams and they lost to one of the worst put together Celtics team led by a 21 year old Tatum.

That Pacers team you’re crapping on had the 2nd best offensive rating in NBA history.
I’m telling you, those Raptors teams would have no chance in this current east lol.

Bingo. For a player who never made 1st or 2nd team allstar... only the Raptors base put him in Isaiah Thomas category, lol... too hilarious...

Post on the general board, lol

Good player who late in his career played with some good players .... career 14, 4, 6 player... lol

What does career stats have to do with peak

Lowry is one of the best point guards of the past decade. He’s better than Dame, who is top 75 player of all time.

Just because casuals and media constantly underrated Lowry doesn’t mean they were right.

[HumbleRen]

He is not better than Dame lol.

[The Duke]

Adding prime Lowry (and not removing anyone), would not elevate this team to contender status. We’d be in the pretender status (middle playoff team, but long shot to advance)

[Los_29]

Explain this? The Lowry/Demar Raptors were not in THAT different of a league at all.

It was a team that had an inefficient first option (Demar), huge defensive targets (Demar and Val, as well as out of position Ibaka, plus Miles off the bench), very poor shooting (Demar, Delon, Norm, Siakam, Poeltl, Valanciunas all in the rotation), etc.

There have not been material changes to training in the last 6 years to change anything.
Analytics have said shoot more 3's - that does not help that team at all.

I loved those Raptors teams... but the East was **** horrible

The offense has taken a huge jump since those years. A guy like JV would have been quicker at learning the 3. Norm would already have a better jumper than he had back then. You can't take how a team and played back then and then compare to a different game when the offense is inflated with more focus on analytics and act like the players from that team wouldn't also be better offensive players if they came into the league today.

The East was bad that time and LeBron James for some free rides to the finals. But, the Indiana Pacers made the East finals this past year lol. The Knicks with one guy and a bunch of role players were giving teams trouble. That Raptors team played a very similar style and had more talent. I'll take Lowry over Haliburton for his overall impact. The East has been just as bad in recent years. The only difference is that the offense is inflated so it gives you the impression that teams are better. Take that team and put it in today's league and players on that team would also be better.

You’re overthinking it in my opinion. That 2019-2020 Raptors team was better than any iteration of those Lowry and Demar teams and they lost to one of the worst put together Celtics team led by a 21 year old Tatum.

That Pacers team you’re crapping on had the 2nd best offensive rating in NBA history.
I’m telling you, those Raptors teams would have no chance in this current east lol.

That’s the funny thing, they weren’t. Gasol, Ibaka and Lowry were all well past their prime. In fact, Gasol and Ibaka were out of the league shortly after. Many had that team missing the playoffs entirely prior to the season.

[HumbleRen]

The offense has taken a huge jump since those years. A guy like JV would have been quicker at learning the 3. Norm would already have a better jumper than he had back then. You can't take how a team and played back then and then compare to a different game when the offense is inflated with more focus on analytics and act like the players from that team wouldn't also be better offensive players if they came into the league today.

The East was bad that time and LeBron James for some free rides to the finals. But, the Indiana Pacers made the East finals this past year lol. The Knicks with one guy and a bunch of role players were giving teams trouble. That Raptors team played a very similar style and had more talent. I'll take Lowry over Haliburton for his overall impact. The East has been just as bad in recent years. The only difference is that the offense is inflated so it gives you the impression that teams are better. Take that team and put it in today's league and players on that team would also be better.

You’re overthinking it in my opinion. That 2019-2020 Raptors team was better than any iteration of those Lowry and Demar teams and they lost to one of the worst put together Celtics team led by a 21 year old Tatum.

That Pacers team you’re crapping on had the 2nd best offensive rating in NBA history.
I’m telling you, those Raptors teams would have no chance in this current east lol.

That’s the funny thing, they weren’t. Gasol, Ibaka and Lowry were all well past their prime. In fact, Gasol and Ibaka were out of the league shortly after. Many had that team missing the playoffs entirely prior to the season.

They were. There’s not a single Raptors team in the Demar/Lowry era that was better than that 2019-2020 team. The team was on pace for 60 + wins. Nurse was significantly better than Casey.

Every single player in our starting line up was a legit 2 way player. I think they beat any Raps team from 2013-2017.

[Los_29]

You’re overthinking it in my opinion. That 2019-2020 Raptors team was better than any iteration of those Lowry and Demar teams and they lost to one of the worst put together Celtics team led by a 21 year old Tatum.

That Pacers team you’re crapping on had the 2nd best offensive rating in NBA history.
I’m telling you, those Raptors teams would have no chance in this current east lol.

That’s the funny thing, they weren’t. Gasol, Ibaka and Lowry were all well past their prime. In fact, Gasol and Ibaka were out of the league shortly after. Many had that team missing the playoffs entirely prior to the season.

They were. There’s not a single Raptors team in the Demar/Lowry era that was better than that 2019-2020 team. The team was on pace for 60 + wins. Nurse was significantly better than Casey.

Every single player in our starting line up was a legit 2 way player. I think they beat any Raps team from 2013-2017.

Exactly, Nurse was significantly better than Casey. He squeezed out every ounce of talent out of that 2019-20 squad and nearly got us to the ECF. It was an incredible coaching display.

We overachieved. Boston was favoured to win that series and they were also projected to be a much better team prior to the season. I believe it was the year they signed Kemba as well. They were also favoured to beat Miami. They were seen as the team to win the East.

[HumbleRen]

That’s the funny thing, they weren’t. Gasol, Ibaka and Lowry were all well past their prime. In fact, Gasol and Ibaka were out of the league shortly after. Many had that team missing the playoffs entirely prior to the season.

They were. There’s not a single Raptors team in the Demar/Lowry era that was better than that 2019-2020 team. The team was on pace for 60 + wins. Nurse was significantly better than Casey.

Every single player in our starting line up was a legit 2 way player. I think they beat any Raps team from 2013-2017.

Exactly, Nurse was significantly better than Casey. He squeezed out every ounce of talent out of that 2019-20 squad and nearly got us to the ECF. It was an incredible coaching display.

We overachieved. Boston was favoured to win that series and they were also projected to be a much better team prior to the season. I believe it was the year they signed Kemba as well. They were also favoured to beat Miami. They were seen as the team to win the East.

They were mediocre in comparison to the future iterations of JB/Tatum teams.

Their starting center was Daniel Thesis lol. Kemba was a shell of himself, and Gordon Hayward didn’t even play for them that series because he was out with injuries.

The 3 best players in the series were Siakam, Tatum and Lowry. THE only reason why it went to 7 games was because Siakam fell off a cliff. We were the better team.

[Los_29]

They were. There’s not a single Raptors team in the Demar/Lowry era that was better than that 2019-2020 team. The team was on pace for 60 + wins. Nurse was significantly better than Casey.

Every single player in our starting line up was a legit 2 way player. I think they beat any Raps team from 2013-2017.

Exactly, Nurse was significantly better than Casey. He squeezed out every ounce of talent out of that 2019-20 squad and nearly got us to the ECF. It was an incredible coaching display.

We overachieved. Boston was favoured to win that series and they were also projected to be a much better team prior to the season. I believe it was the year they signed Kemba as well. They were also favoured to beat Miami. They were seen as the team to win the East.

They were mediocre in comparison to the future iterations of JB/Tatum teams.

Their starting center was Daniel Thesis lol. Kemba was a shell of himself, and Gordon Hayward didn’t even play for them that series because he was out with injuries.

The 3 best players in the series were Siakam, Tatum and Lowry. THE only reason why it went to 7 games was because Siakam fell off a cliff. We were the better team.

No, Kemba was in his first year as a Celtic. He was still a good player and the team was vastly better than the year before. Tatum, Hayward, Timelord, Brown, Smart, Theis and G. Will was a very solid rotation at the time. Our bigs were literally out of the league a year later.

And who cares if they were mediocre in comparison. All the teams back then were mediocre in comparison. The Lakers won a championship with KCP as their 3rd best player and the Heat went to the finals with a rookie Herro and well past his prime Dragic. Looking back at it now, I actually can’t believe the Celtics lost to the Heat.

[agkagk]

Prime jimmy butler would more than be enough.

Lowry seems like a round peg in a square hole with this roster.

[Los_29]

Prime jimmy butler would more than be enough.

Lowry seems like a round peg in a square hole with this roster.

Jimmy, Scottie and Poeltl in the same lineup would be interesting. Jimmy’s prime was much better than Lowry’s though and would make us a very good team.

[HumbleRen]

Exactly, Nurse was significantly better than Casey. He squeezed out every ounce of talent out of that 2019-20 squad and nearly got us to the ECF. It was an incredible coaching display.

We overachieved. Boston was favoured to win that series and they were also projected to be a much better team prior to the season. I believe it was the year they signed Kemba as well. They were also favoured to beat Miami. They were seen as the team to win the East.

They were mediocre in comparison to the future iterations of JB/Tatum teams.

Their starting center was Daniel Thesis lol. Kemba was a shell of himself, and Gordon Hayward didn’t even play for them that series because he was out with injuries.

The 3 best players in the series were Siakam, Tatum and Lowry. THE only reason why it went to 7 games was because Siakam fell off a cliff. We were the better team.

No, Kemba was in his first year as a Celtic. He was still a good player and the team was vastly better than the year before. Tatum, Hayward, Timelord, Brown, Smart, Theis and G. Will was a very solid rotation at the time. Our bigs were literally out of the league a year later.

And who cares if they were mediocre in comparison. All the teams back then were mediocre in comparison. The Lakers won a championship with KCP as their 3rd best player and the Heat went to the finals with a rookie Herro and well past his prime Dragic. Looking back at it now, I actually can’t believe the Celtics lost to the Heat.

Idk, if you want to feel like the Celtics were better than the Raptors to make yourself feel better about it, go ahead.

Deep down we all know if Siakam performed to his average performance that season, we win that series lol.

[YogurtProducer]

The offense has taken a huge jump since those years. A guy like JV would have been quicker at learning the 3. Norm would already have a better jumper than he had back then. You can't take how a team and played back then and then compare to a different game when the offense is inflated with more focus on analytics and act like the players from that team wouldn't also be better offensive players if they came into the league today.

The East was bad that time and LeBron James for some free rides to the finals. But, the Indiana Pacers made the East finals this past year lol. The Knicks with one guy and a bunch of role players were giving teams trouble. That Raptors team played a very similar style and had more talent. I'll take Lowry over Haliburton for his overall impact. The East has been just as bad in recent years. The only difference is that the offense is inflated so it gives you the impression that teams are better. Take that team and put it in today's league and players on that team would also be better.

You’re overthinking it in my opinion. That 2019-2020 Raptors team was better than any iteration of those Lowry and Demar teams and they lost to one of the worst put together Celtics team led by a 21 year old Tatum.

That Pacers team you’re crapping on had the 2nd best offensive rating in NBA history.
I’m telling you, those Raptors teams would have no chance in this current east lol.

That’s the funny thing, they weren’t. Gasol, Ibaka and Lowry were all well past their prime. In fact, Gasol and Ibaka were out of the league shortly after. Many had that team missing the playoffs entirely prior to the season.

Come on - yes they were.

That 2019/20 Raptors team is the 2nd best Raptors team of all time FFS

[WaltFrazier]

Yeah the 2020 Raptors were easily the second best Raptors team ever. Great team. Essentially replaced Kawhi with OG, a dropoff but still very good. Covid and Pascal's bubble play prevented a Finals appearance at least. If only Masai had done more to replace Kawhi and Danny.

The notion here that the East was mediocre then compared to now doesn't ring true either. In 2019 the top 4 in the East were very strong and Raps had to go through two champion level teams in Philly and Milwaukee just to make the Finals. GSW had an easy time with Portland in the WCF by comparison. East and West have fluctuated since then but it's only 5 years, it's still the same era.

[Tha Cynic]

The offense has taken a huge jump since those years. A guy like JV would have been quicker at learning the 3. Norm would already have a better jumper than he had back then. You can't take how a team and played back then and then compare to a different game when the offense is inflated with more focus on analytics and act like the players from that team wouldn't also be better offensive players if they came into the league today.

The East was bad that time and LeBron James for some free rides to the finals. But, the Indiana Pacers made the East finals this past year lol. The Knicks with one guy and a bunch of role players were giving teams trouble. That Raptors team played a very similar style and had more talent. I'll take Lowry over Haliburton for his overall impact. The East has been just as bad in recent years. The only difference is that the offense is inflated so it gives you the impression that teams are better. Take that team and put it in today's league and players on that team would also be better.

You’re overthinking it in my opinion. That 2019-2020 Raptors team was better than any iteration of those Lowry and Demar teams and they lost to one of the worst put together Celtics team led by a 21 year old Tatum.

That Pacers team you’re crapping on had the 2nd best offensive rating in NBA history.
I’m telling you, those Raptors teams would have no chance in this current east lol.

Bingo. For a player who never made 1st or 2nd team allstar... only the Raptors base put him in Isaiah Thomas category, lol... too hilarious...

Post on the general board, lol

Good player who late in his career played with some good players .... career 14, 4, 6 player... lol

You're responding to a post talking about how good teams were back then vs today and whether players from a decade ago would be better players if they came into the league today. This wasn't about Lowry.

Imo, they will as everything evolves from training to analytics to what's more important in today's game. How much better, who knows. But I don't think the East was some juggernaut last season. This season is a different story. We crap on teams in the past, but really it's simple evolution of the game and how it's played. You can't take a player from yesteryear and just assume they would be the exact same player today.

The Raptors from that time were part of the team that had the second best record behind the Warriors over a 10 year period. A lot of their younger players were traded to get the championship roster because of the value they had. That's not a fluke. Sure they were missing a superstar, but they were as close as you get to a great team with no superstar