8. Kyle Lowry, Toronto Raptors
As one of the East’s more prominant offensive weapons over the past few seasons, Lowry seems primed for yet another strong campaign. He reached career highs in both scoring and efficiency last year, and also tallied seven assists per game, operating as the primary source of ball movement for an offense that relies heavily on isolation play.
With DeMar DeRozan sucking up a lot of Toronto’s possessions in isolation, Lowry’s importance can’t be understated. He brings much needed balance to an offense that continues to thrive in the regular season, which goes a long way in establishing him as one of the league’s most impactful players at this position.
The only knocks on Lowry come defensively — where he’s average — and in the postseason, where his production drops off on a near-annual basis. Neither him nor the Raptors as a whole have found the success they wanted after the regular season over the past few seasons, and that’s likely something Lowry is committed to changing in 2018.