Kyle Lowry is easily under-appreciated by the casual fan. He doesn't jump high. His handle isn't smooth. His physical stature doesn't resemble a typical star. He's short and stocky by NBA standards, and often his highlights are produced through tenacity rather than natural ability. Lowry's success is built on his pest-like nature on the court: He buries his nose into dirty places for rebounds, picks his spots to knock down open threes, puts his body on the line defensively and finds his teammates in the right places. He doesn't wow you aesthetically, but Lowry's recognition as an All-Star the past three seasons has been warranted (It should have been 4 -- He was egregiously snubbed in 2014) Outside of Steph, Russ, and CP3, you could make the case that he's played as well as any point guard in the league in recent years.

This season, Lowry has taken a slight step back in personal production for the good of the Raptors offense. His minutes are down to 32.7 a game (almost five less than last season), his usage is lower by 3.5%, and he's taking three fewer shots per game. The results have been excellent - the Raps are shredding defenses with more ball movement and threes. Assists are up 4.5 per game, and the team's offensive rating of 111 is 3rd best in the NBA. More importantly, the Dinos are 27-10 and pushing for the #1 seed in the East. Things couldn't be better for the Raps as a team, but wins aren't translating into votes for Lowry.

Based on current totals, Lowry has no shot at getting in as a starting guard. We all know the voting process is wacky, and as fans, we want what we want, but there's no reason that (besides reputation) why Dwyane Wade or Isaiah Thomas should have more votes than Lowry. Fortunately for Toronto fans, it's probable that Demar DeRozan is voted in as a starting guard. DD has ratcheted his game up another level this season with a newfound 3-point stroke and efficiency we've never seen from him. Fans league-wide have taken notice of his dominant play, and he should be on the court for the opening tip-off in his hometown L.A.

For argument's sake, let's pencil in DeRozan and Kyrie Irving as starters, leaving seven spots open for reserves. I'm going to assume that four are going to frontcourt players, simply because there are more frontcourt spots to occupy. That leaves three spots for guards and a handful of players vying for those positions. Based on their play this season, who should make it? I've arbitrarily decided on the five most deserving guards in the East, who will be graded in various categories with a score of 1 through 5. The three highest scores will be determined my worthy All-Stars.

-Kyle Lowry
-Victor Oladipo
-Ben Simmons
-Bradley Beal
-John Wall

Scoring

Lowry: 16.2 ppg, 38.9% 3PT, 54.9% Eff FG, 4.9 Off. Box Plus Minus
Oladipo: 24.9 ppg, 42.3% 3PT, 56.1% EFG, 4.1 OBPM
Simmons: 16.9 ppg, 0% 3PT, 52.2% EFG, 0.5 OBPM
Beal: 23.7 ppg, 37.3% 3PT, 52.6% EFG, 3.4 OBPM
Wall: 18.8 ppg, 33.9% 3PT, 46.7% EFG, 2.2 OBPM

Oladipo is the winner, putting up +40% from downtown while maintaining a high EFG% and also carrying the offensive burden for a Pacers team that desperately needs him. Lowry scores fewer points than Beal, but he's more efficient and his points per shot attempt is higher (119.4 vs 112.2) I still give the nod to Beal due to his percentages on high volume (His 21-for-37 - 51 point performance against the Blazers was mesmerizing) Beal is also asked to carry more of an offensive burden than Lowry. Wall takes 4th despite a worse EFG% than Simmons because of the rookie's inability to shoot free throws or threes.

Oladipo 5, Beal 4, Lowry 3, Wall 2, Simmons 1.

Passing

Lowry: 6.9 APG, 30.2 % AST, 1.23 Assist to Usage ratio
Oladipo: 3.9 APG, 19.0% AST, 0.61 AST:USG
Simmons: 7.5 APG, 32.2% AST, 1.21 AST:USG
Beal: 3.7 APG, 16.8% AST, 0.59 AST:USG
Wall: 8.8 APG, 39.1% AST, 1.21 AST:USG

Based on reputation this should be a slam-dunk for Wall, but his assists aren't that much higher than Lowry and Simmons considering his usage is +7% greater. Lowry's assist ratio slightly edges Simmons, but Kyle has a stronger supporting cast. I'll give the edge to Simmons. Wall squeezes by Lowry because he turns it over less in correlation to how much he has the rock, while also producing more assists. Oladipo is only slightly better than Beal in this category, but the numbers don't lie here.

Simmons 5, Wall 4, Lowry 3, Oladipo 2, Beal 1

Defense

Lowry: 0.5 Defensive Box Plus Minus, 1.4 Defensive Win Shares,
Oladipo: 0.0 DBPM, 1.2 DWS
Simmons: 3.3 DBPM, 2.2 DWS,
Beal: -1.0 DBPM, 1.2 DWS
Wall: 0.5 DBPM, 1.4 DWS

Playing defense in basketball is a team concept, making it difficult to assign individual marks for this aspect of the game. I still feel there needs to be some influence. I've gone strictly by the numbers here.

Simmons 5, Lowry 3.5, Wall 3.5, Oladipo 2, Beal 1

Impact on Team

Lowry: +5.4 On-court, +2.6 Off-court, 4.7 Win Shares
Oladipo: +2.9 On-court, -3.1 Off-court, 3.7 WS
Simmons: +1.2 On-court, -0.6 Off-Court, 2.9 WS
Beal: +4.5 On-Court, -1.8 Off-court, 4.2 WS
Wall: +5.6 On-court, -1.4 Off-Court, 2.5 WS

This is the toughest category to hand out points for. One on hand, the Raptors are a good team without Lowry on the court. On the other, Toronto is twice as productive with him on it. He produces more wins for his team than anyone else and is the engine of a team fighting for 1st in the East and are on pace for nearly 60 wins. Beal and Wall mean a ton to a Wizards team with shallow depth, and it's reflected in their on-court/off-court splits. Wall has a better +/- but Beal produces more win shares. The Pacers fall apart without Oladipo and haven't won a game since he's been injured. The 76ers are relatively even with or without Simmons, but his abysmal free throw shooting must factor into that.

Lowry 5, Oladipo 4, Wall 3, Beal 2, Simmons 1

Overall Scores

Lowry 14.5
Oladipo: 13
Wall: 12.5
Simmons: 12
Beal: 8

If DeRozan is the only All-Star representing Toronto on February 18th it will be a mistake. Lowry has managed to maintain a superior level of play in comparison to other guards in the East and should be in L.A. If there's a team that deserves to have two All-Stars besides the Celtics and Cavs, it's the Raps. It's been that kind of year so far.