Chicago Bulls: 3 All-Star Reserves Zach LaVine deserved to get in over

The edge that the veteran Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry holds over LaVine is with his unanimous contribution on both ends of the floor. The number of defensive win shares and the defensive box plus/minus rating for Lowry is better than LaVine’s. But those numbers are by no means astronomical compared to LaVine.

The defensive rating that LaVine and Lowry are posting this season are roughly the same (107 each way). And Lowry’s defensive box plus/minus rating actually sits at an even zero.

Purely in terms of his offensive numbers, LaVine holds a big edge over Lowry. LaVine is shooting at a more efficient clip from the field and beyond the arc. He has a higher number of offensive win shares and is also averaging more points per game. The offensive rating for Lowry is higher, but that’s largely due to the fact that his supporting cast is so much better.

The number of points per game that LaVine is posting and his shooting numbers are both better than Lowry’s. Lowry also has a higher turnover rate than LaVine, and a lower usage rate. That is one of the more confounding numbers, but likely due to the fact that Lowry has a higher assist rate than LaVine.

All in all, Lowry is definitely a benefactor from the fact that the Raptors are the defending NBA Champions. That title was mostly due to Kawhi Leonard‘s push down the stretch against the Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals and the defending champion Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals. Lowry was a key cog, but not as much of a factor as Leonard.