Poll: When’s Kyle Lowry Coming Back?

Kyle Lowry, the main reason all these good things have been happening to the Toronto Raptors the past few years, has been out for some time now. It’s been eighteen games to be exact — not that we’re counting or anything. That the Raptors have gone 12-6 over that stretch is modestly astounding. For most of January and February, it took everything Lowry could do just to keep the team respectable. (Yes, the trades have helped.)

The Raptors need Lowry, there’s no dispute there. Since sitting down with “loose bodies” in his wrist, and undergoing surgery, the city of Toronto has been tense with anticipation. The 4-5 week timetable predicted by the all-mighty Woj is quickly approaching. April 4th is the end of week number five, which means we could see Lowry in uniform and back on the court soon.

So, it’s Friday afternoon and we’re all just talking here. Why not make some predictions? Here’s the rest of the Raptors’ regular season schedule:

Mar. 31 - vs. Indiana

Apr. 2 - vs. Philadelphia

Apr. 4 - @ Indiana

Apr. 5 - @ Detroit

Apr. 7 - vs. Miami

Apr. 9 - @ New York

Apr. 12 - @ Cleveland

We know that Lowry is back to shooting with his right hand, and has been keeping his conditioning and such up throughout, but a return tonight, or over the weekend feels unlikely. Let’s rule the next two games out.

Now things get interesting. The Raptors hit the road for games on the 4th and 5th, and may even have time for a practice on the 3rd. As Eric Koreen noted in his notebook piece on the Athletic today, we don’t know if Lowry is actually cleared for full-on contact. Shooting is one thing, getting a chop to the wrist is something else entirely. An appearance in either of these two games feels 50/50-ish.

Then we get one final home game, and two road games that may or may not be of much significance. The Raptors don’t know where they’ll be seeded yet in the playoffs, they don’t know who they’ll be playing in the first round, or who their potential second round opponent would be. Everything is up in the air. All of which points to the re-emergence of an all-out Lowry down the stretch to get him up to speed for the post-season.

So, in which game do you think Lowry makes his return?

I’m going against the grain and saying the Detroit game will mark Lowry’s return, because that would be the peak move for him to make — just sneak in out of nowhere.

Now we just need to settle on a “Kyle Lowry returns!” GIF.