When Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan report to training camp, they’ll do so as Toronto’s unspoken leaders. After leading the team to its franchise-best finish last season, taking the Cleveland Cavaliers to six games in the Eastern Conference Finals, the All-Star backcourt led with their play on court and examples of work ethic and focus away from it.
Lowry and DeRozan each collected a gold medal with the U.S. national team in the Rio Olympics, but their roles with Team USA were decidedly different than the ones they play with the Raptors. Shifting from first options to coming off the bench is an adjustment, surely, but Lowry and DeRozan adapted well. Fitting in seamlessly with their teammates, the two earned respect from the coaching staff that had spend the previous month working alongside them in Rio as well as in a training camp held in Las Vegas.
“They know that they play to win,” Tom Thibodeau said after a training session in Las Vegas. “They play within the team, and that’s really what it’s all about. They’ve been great here. They’re a great fit with Team USA. Just the way they conduct themselves, the way they concentrate in meetings, the way they practice, the way they’re wiling to share and sacrifice. It says a lot about them.”
Thibodeau will coach the Minnesota Timberwolves this season, but saw plenty of DeRozan and Lowry during his five-year tenure with the Chicago Bulls. He also coached DeRozan when he won a gold medal in the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup and has been able to observe how he continues to elevate his game as his career progresses.
“He’s one of those guys that continues to get better every year,” Thibodeau said. “He and Kyle, that backcourt is about as good as it gets in the NBA. Both of them are great competitors. Smart, tough, and they make their teammates a lot better. DeMar has added a lot to his game. He scores in so many different ways. He puts a lot of pressure on you. He’s athletic and he’s got a great demeanour about him. He doesn’t get rattled. I watched them a lot this [past] year and I thought he had an unbelievable season.”
While DeRozan leads by example first, Thibodeau had high praise for his ability to step away from the limelight and play the role that was asked of him with Team USA.
“His demeanour is great, his attitude is great and his approach is great,” Thibodeau said. “There’s all different types of leadership, but his leadership is the best because he leads by example. He does all of the right things each and every day. That’s why his career has gone the way it has. He’s never satisfied. He’s hard working. He cares about his teammates. He cares about winning. That goes a long way.
No question, it’s his work ethic [that allows him to continue to improve],” Thibodeau continued. “Obviously he’s talented. You can’t do what he’s done without a lot of talent, but I think it’s also his drive and his intelligence. That’s why each year, he’s gotten better and better. You can’t say enough about the way that he plays. Each aspect of his game has gotten better. You have to be alert and aware in transition, half court, driving the ball, catch and shoot, posting, cutting, keeps enormous pressure on your defence at all times.”
Thibodeau’s compliments weren’t limited to DeRozan and Lowry. Explaining that he’d watched his share of Raptors games the previous season prior to taking the opportunity with the Timberwolves, Thibodeau was impressed with the continued rise of the franchise as a whole.
“Dwane [Casey] has done an unbelievable job there, along with Masai [Ujiri],” Thibodeau said. “The leadership from inside has been terrific as well. When you look at what DeMar and Kyle have done, you see the growth from year to year. I think when you have that type of leadership, it makes your team coachable. It makes it enjoyable. The winning is the fun. That’s what it’s all about. As I mentioned, each year they’ve gotten better and better.”
Thibodeau wasn’t the only coach working with the U.S. national team that has watched the Raptors closely. Jay Wright, coaching with the Select team, had reason to keep tabs on Toronto because he’d coached Lowry at Villanova. Nine years later, Wright remains one of Lowry’s closest confidants. When he watches the Raptors, what sticks out most is the relationship between Lowry and DeRozan. As the two have developed a bond that extends far beyond basketball, Wright has seen how that connection translates directly onto the court.
“[Kyle] doesn’t talk about their relationship, as much as he talks about how much respect he has for DeMar and how much they love each other,” Wright said. “I’m always watching the relationship. I’m watching interviews, even some of the comical interviews where DeMar says something and he makes fun of it and the way DeMar responds to him it’s like, ‘Hey, it’s my older brother. I’ll take it from him.’”
“凯里经常谈论他有多尊重德马尔，他们有多么爱彼此，”赖特说，“我总是观察他们的关系，看他们的访问，甚至是有些搞笑的采访，当德马尔说什么的时候，洛瑞会在旁边开个玩笑，德马尔会回应说：'嘿，他是我哥，我已经习惯了。'”
Wright has watched Lowry become a husband and father, and has witnessed how both life events have helped him find a maturity and patience that were sometimes lacking in the beginning of his professional career. Thibodeau credits Lowry’s relentless nature for where his career has taken him.
赖特见证了洛瑞称为丈夫和父亲，见证了这两种身份如何让他变的成熟而有耐心，这两种品质在洛瑞职业生涯早期是比较缺少的。锡伯杜深知洛瑞的韧性是他取得现在这些成就的原因。
“You learn from all of your experiences,” Thibodeau said. “For him to do what he’s done in this league tells you how mentally tough he is. He’s found a home and I think when you look at that backcourt, that’s a big part of why they win the way that they do. You can tell the fans have an appreciation for what they’ve done, but I think more importantly, they’re teammates. They know that they play to win, they play within the team, and that’s really what it’s all about.”
“你会从自己的经历里学到东西，”锡伯杜说，“从洛瑞在联盟中的所作所为你就能知道他是多么强硬的球员。他在猛龙找到了家，猛龙的后场组合是他们取得胜利的原因。你能判断球迷很喜欢他们两个，但是我认为最重要的是他们是队友。他们知道自己为了胜利打球，为了球队打球，这是最关键的部分。”
For Wright, the bond between Lowry and DeRozan was highlighted during the first two rounds of the postseason when the Raptors were fighting their way through a seven-game series against the Indiana Pacers and then another against the Miami Heat. After All-Star seasons, Lowry and DeRozan each had to work through their own offensive struggles under the biggest stage either had played on. It was in those tough moments, when things could have gotten dark, where Wright saw the depth of understanding between Toronto’s two stars.
对赖特来说，洛瑞和德罗赞之间的关系升华是在今年两轮季后赛中，当时他们通过两次抢七比赛分别战胜印第安纳步行者队和迈阿密热火队。经历过一个全明星赛季后，洛瑞和德罗赞必须克服他们在更高舞台上进攻端挣扎的麻烦。在这些艰难的时间里，情况快要陷入黑暗时，赖特看到了多伦多两个球星之间的理解深度。
“I think that chemistry on the court, when times are tough, it proved through the playoffs,” Wright said. “When they were in some tough situations o the road, you can see how those two stick together. Nothing is going to break them. It’s rare in professional sports. I think it’s something special that Toronto has.”
“我认为这是在困境中的化学反应，季后赛中已经体现出来了，”赖特说，“在前进的路上当他们遇到困难的时候，你看到他们两紧急团结在一起，没有什么能分开他们，这在职业体育中是很少见的。我认为这是多伦多拥有的特殊的恭喜。