I love Kyle Lowry's play since he's joined Houston, and I believe he should be starting instead of Brooks. BUT I don't think the difference between Brooks and Lowry starting is very big, and even though I think Lowry should be starting for THIS team, in the context of the overall league I believe his currently ability is that of a borderline starter/good rotation player. One of the argument's I've seen for starting Brooks over Lowry is that Brooks has more potential, which got me thinking, what exactly is Lowry's potential. Is what we are seeing very close to the finished product? Can he improve? I DO NOT want to turn this into a Brooks vs Lowry thread (we have many other threads we can do that in), rather I'd like to discuss what exactly is Lowry's ceiling. If possible, use other PGs as comparisons (well any PG except Brooks). Potential areas for discussion: Ball handling - decent but can be improved, especially when he is driving to the hoop Shooting range - We know he doesn't have 3 point range, but can this be improved? I'm not confident he can. Pull up jumper - Looks very promising, an area I think he can improve in. Finishing around the rim in traffic - He can get to the rim, he can get contact. Can his finishing improve? Decision making/Passing - Overall I think he is solid, but made a few bad mental lapses and gambled too much on some passes during the Portland series. I think he can overcome them, but it's not always that easy to predict. Some players just go through their careers making these type of mental lapses. Rebounding - Already terrific, don't think there's much to improve here Defense/steals - Already good. Can he improve?
Brooks would be devastated if Lowry became starting point. Especially since the Alston trade only just happened. You can't just drop the poor guy after telling him it's his turn at running the team. I Like Lowry over Brooks, but it's still too soon in my opinion.
Lowry is a classic game manager. He's not really a playmaker that's going to create shots for other guys but he can definitely deliver the ball to guys in their scoring zones. He's the best repost feeder and makes the best reversal passes on the team. The rest of his game can be considered solid if unspectacular. He can drive the ball but his first step isn't that great. He is pretty good pulling up from about 18 ft but his 3pt shooting is shaky. That being said, I think he can be a decent three point shooter on open set shots like Jason Kidd. Lowry's going to be at his best when he's surrounded by scoring options. Then he can just do what he does best; deliver the ball to scorers, draw fouls, and occasionally shoot the ball on kick-outs/reversals.
Lowry is the better PG without a question. The only knock on him is his 3pt shooting but look at players like Parker or even Rondo; they don't have the best 3pt range percentage but they do everything else. I'm not putting Lowry on the same level as those guys but he really has more potential than Brooks. Lowry is better than Brooks just for the fact that he looks to get to the line by creating contact before getting his shot off other than Brooks. Brooks tends to shy away from contract and try to get tuff shots over and around his defender(s). Lowry's ballhandling is one thing people tend to under-rate too. He handles the ball all the time in pressure situations and takes care of it. For example, why do you think he was the main PG for us in the last couple of minutes of the 4th in the Portland series? Wouldn't you assume that most coaches would want their best point on the floor to finish a game? He definitely wasn't in cause Brooks just needed a little rest... One big knock on Brooks will always be him being a liability on D just cause he doesn't have the size or bulk to defend bigger points. I'm just wondering when Rick will finally see the light and start Lowy/ bench Brooks. Hopefully it'll just be a matter of time...
can't shoot, can't score that well, but distributes the ball well and plays good d. he won't be an all star but eventually he could start for us if his shot ever improves.
A very solid assessment. I'd like to add he is a very good defender whose speed, strength and bulk allows him to stay with bigger players. I see a little bit of Chuck Hayes in the way he strips the ball from players on their way up. Also, he is very capable at drawing fouls and charges. However, I think he sometimes overly relies on the referees calling the fouls. When those calls don't go his way, his aggressiveness can hurt the team. In that sense, he's a bit similar to Wafer. Right now, I already see both Lowry and Brooks as borderline starters/solid rotation players. I don't expect either to suddenly blossom into All-Star calibre point guards in the future, but the Rockets may not need them to. If they are kept together and keep developing, they can become one of the more potent PG tandems in the league.
I voted for option #2, not an all-star but he will be a key guy in the long run. His game is similar to Jason Kidd's, I'm not saying he will be like him but his game is similar. I think next season he will be starting, It's just that Adelman is way too loyal to Aaron Brooks and that AB's been on the team longer. Kyle Lowry is the PG of the future for the Houston Rockets. He'll make life easier for about everyone on the team next year when he starts.
First you athlete deprived Rockets fans were so deprived that y'all thought Wafer may fetch 7Mil in the open market! Now you point guard deprived Rockets fans think Lowry has Isiah Thomas potential.
BB IQ, Court vision, Defense Lowry >>>> Brooks Rebounding Lowry >> Brooks Shooting touch, range Brooks >> Lowry
What would you think of Lowry if he had a 40% 3-point shot? It's the only thing holding him back. If Lowry works on his offensive game this summer and becomes a more consistent range shooter, then I think he's got everything else already. He is right up there with Maggette/Wade/Kobe/Yao as far as his ability to draw the foul. If he can learn to exploit his offensive game a little bit more then he could be nails. He has great vision, he takes care of the ball, he moves the ball into the right spots, he gets the ball down the floor very fast, and he defends his a... off. His midrange jumper is good. His finishing ability at the rim is great. If he adds more range to his jumper and upped his 3-point shooting ability, he probably won't be an All-Star because both CP3 and DWilliams are in the West, but he will effectively neutralize them on the court when we play against them. And that's all I really care about getting from Lowry is getting a guy that can give CP3 and DWill fits and make them have to work their a... off to get theirs.
Speaking of Lowry, it makes sense to me that he should be getting most of the starter minutes against Fisher. He will give Fisher a much more physical time than Brooks will. This would leave Brooks free to roam around with the 2nd unit and clean up. Brooks and Wafer coming in with the 2nd unit could really light it up.
I really like Lowry. He has good potential. I hope he can practice his shooting this summer. If he wants to be a starter, he has to improve his shooting skills.
i think hes going to be very poised and his iq will allow him to recognize what we need at crucial times in the game, i love lowrys game, i think he'll eventually be our starter and ab a shooter with the green light off the bench
great point right now, im kinda shaky with brook, because all his bone headed shot instead of giving the ball to yao, although some time brook scored but its just so ...???? I would love if lowry could play more if brook get cold or just makign stupid moves. I hope lowry and brook can improve in the summer, but to me i want lowry to improve because brook can't increase his body size which is a disadvantag while lowry can improve his jump shot
I feel Kyle is the next Chris Paul, Deron Williams type. He could do everything. He's just as aggressive as those guys.
Well, this thread certainly atrracts alot of those who thinks lowry is greater than brooks. While I disagrees with that, the one thing I see is that Brook's role in this Lakers series is definitely going to diminish, because the shotblocking of Gasol and Bynum is gonna limit his penetration ability.
Lowry actually seems like he has the potential to be a Derek Fisher type, smart and decently skilled but doesn't excel at anything other then managing the game and some favorable defensive match ups.