Kyle Lowry Thought The Raptors Would Drop Him After 2 Years When He Started

The Raptors are once again bringing tons of excitement to their playoff run. Much of that is due to the performance of Kyle Lowry, who has proven himself to be an essential part of the team's success. However, he didn't always think that he would be sticking around for this long.

In 2016, Lowry wrote a piece for The Players' Tribune, in which he talks openly about his early days on the Raptors and the struggles he faced.

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"When I was traded to Toronto, I figured I’d do my thing and show my talents, but in two years I would become a free agent and I’d be gone," the player writes, saying that he didn't try hard enough to "click" with former coach Dwane Casey in the beginning.

This was an ongoing issue that Lowry writes about in detail, highlighting some of the difficulties he had with his previous Houston Rockets coach, Kevin McHale.

"During my time with him, I was immature. I didn’t handle things the right way," he says.

Once he was heading into his second year with the Raptors, Lowry had several conversations with people in the organization, including team president Masai Ujiri.

"To be a great player, I had to grow up and be more mature," he writes, "I had to learn to be the face of a franchise. To be a leader. To be that guy."

Lowry has certainly stepped up during this year's playoff run. During game six, he managed to rack up 33 points.

In his Players' Tribune piece, the Raptors star also mentions his kids, saying how much he knew he had to change once he became a father.

"Once you have kids, the world doesn’t revolve around you anymore. You have to give up control. You have to be patient," he writes, "I’m the one who has to adjust."

It remains to be seen whether Lowry will help the Raptors continue beyond game seven, considering that the odds are now stacked against them.