Lowry, on top of his star-level production in the pick-and-roll, has locked back in defensively. The change isn't visible solely in the numbers, but in Toronto's efforts. Still, one can't help but wonder if the Raptors' sudden and dramatic improvement is in some way tied to the team's shifting dynamic. It should be noted that not all of Toronto's troubles can be pinned to its issues on the wing there were deeper problems in play, from Kyle Lowry's defensive impatience to Jonas Valanciunas' inexperience. That group - which also included Kyle Lowry, Amir Johnson, and Jonas Valanciunas - was by far the most heavily used for the Raptors, as it took the floor for more than a quarter of the team's minutes at the time. Together in the context of Toronto's initial starting lineup, that contributed to some woeful team defense. His ability to match up with difficult, athletic forwards made him genuinely useful on some nights, but ultimately Gay is unremarkable on that end, a problem considering that neither he nor DeMar DeRozan - despite the latter's best efforts - are fully qualified to guard first-option wing threats. Essentially the same criticisms of Gay's offensive game could be applied here: For a player with such length and ease of movement, he should be capable of far more. Gay is not a uniquely terrible defender, though he's often a disinterested one.
