The Toronto Maple Leafs biggest need is Kyle Lowry
By Filipe Dimas
3 years agoThe Toronto Maple Leafs have spent much of the 2020 offseason addressing many of their biggest needs. They upgraded their defence with TJ Brodie, they found toughness in Zach Bogosian and Wayne Simmonds, and they added in veteran leadership by finally bringing Joe Thornton to the team after decades of rumours that it might one day happen. However, despite all this the Leafs still lack a key component that has brought success to another MLSE franchise.
They don’t have Kyle Lowry.
Yes, the Toronto Maple Leafs are a hockey team and Kyle Lowry is a basketball player, so asking how Kyle Lowry could possibly help the Leafs is indeed a fair question. The answer lies in something many Toronto Raptors fans already know. Lowry does more than just play basketball.
The Leafs’ struggles aren’t from a lack of talent. On paper, the franchise is as loaded with skill as any other in the NHL. Yet over the past few seasons, a troublesome trend that continues to plague this team has become increasingly apparent.
Sometimes they just quit.
Ask a group of NBA fans who the greatest Raptor of all time is and you’ll get a handful of answers. Ask a group of Raptors fans the same question and you’ll get only one.
Ask a group of NBA fans who the greatest Raptor of all time is and you’ll get a handful of answers. Ask a group of Raptors fans the same question and you’ll get only one.
Kyle Lowry doesn’t quit. For a Raptors franchise that has seen most of its greatest stars quit on the team and walk away to greener pastures, Lowry’s honourable never give up attitude is what sets him apart from everyone else. He’s willing to sacrifice his body to draw charges, he’s the first to jump to a teammate’s defence if an opponent gets physical, and if the refs make a controversial call, he isn’t afraid to speak up and give them an earful about it.
What the Raptors have in Kyle Lowry is something the Leafs have been missing for over a decade. He’s a spark plug, a burst of energy that can fire up the team when they need it most.
It’s no coincidence that the Leafs have been synonymous with third-period collapses while the Raptors have prided themselves on earning a reputation for stunning opponents with late-game comebacks. Just last season, Kyle Lowry put up 20 points in the fourth quarter to lead a franchise-record 30 point comeback against the Dallas Mavericks. Exactly two months later, the Leafs would lose to a Zamboni driver.
Those who watched the infamous Zamboni driver game could see the loss coming from a mile away. After the Leafs scored two quick goals on emergency goalie David Ayres, Carolina’s defence locked down and began to frustrate the Leafs. Then a fanbase watched in horror as the team seemingly decided that if they had to work for a win, then it wasn’t worth winning at all.
In a situation where the only way they could lose is if they gave up, the Leafs did exactly that.
Now imagine if Kyle Lowry were on the team. I don’t know if he knows how to skate, but I don’t think it matters. Just picture him on the Leafs bench, shouting and waving his arms incredulously at anyone and everyone who will listen in the way only Kyle Lowry is capable of. Picture how infectious that courageous energy is, how quickly that passion could spread through the team and how the players may realise that this guy isn’t going to let them quit so they better start working harder.
Over their history, the Leafs have had some of the greatest spark plugs the NHL has ever seen. Wendel Clark, Doug Gilmour, Darcy Tucker and Gary Roberts all had that same fire in their eyes that Kyle Lowry does every time he steps on the court. It’s a fire the Leafs have been lacking for years. It’s an ever-present energy that exists in all situations no matter the score. It is without a doubt, the franchise’s biggest need.
Kyle Lowry is already everything the Leafs hope to one day be. For proof, look no further than the inside of their jersey where the team’s slogan is stitched.
Honour. Pride. Courage.
Over the past decade, no Toronto athlete has embodied those three attributes more than Kyle Lowry. With the Raptors season kicking off tonight, we can only hope that a few Maple Leafs tune in and take notes on what’s possible when you play like Kyle Lowry.
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