5 Reasons why the Toronto Raptors are a legitimate title contender

#1 DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry

Lowry and DeRozan arrive at the Staples Center with Steph Curry for

the All-Star

Ga

Toronto's All-Star backcourt duo is in rude health. While Kyle Lowry is averaging a 5-year low in points per game, this could be attributed to him playing 5 minutes per game less than last year. He is also playing exquisite on-ball defense and is averaging a career-high in rebounds per game - a stupendous achievement considering that he's a 32-year-old 6'0" player.

But Toronto's franchise player and de facto first option on offense is a certain DeMar DeRozan, who is the highest-scoring player in the Raptors' franchise history. DeRozan has reinvented his game to now include a reliable 3-point shot - he is now taking a career-high 3.6 attempts per game from downtown, while cutting down on his inefficient contested mid-range jumpers by 2.5 attempts per game.

With an increase in scoring options around him, DeRozan is also dishing the ball at a career high of 5.2 assists per game. As far as clutch scoring goes, DeRozan is right up there with the elite players of the league, and is capable of leading the Raptors past any team at money time.