Heat betting on Kyle Lowry bounce-back season: Why point guard's return to All-Star form is East's biggest unknown

Miami Heat lost their season opener to the Bulls. Jimmy Butler put up his usual numbers, but both Bam Adebayo and Kyle Lowry struggled. The answer to that question could shape the Eastern Conference title race.

Kyle Lowry is two seasons removed from his last All-Star selection. He is in the Eastern Conference and playing in Miami. Lowry's days of being an All Star are probably over. However, he is a knockdown shooter, a heady player who rarely makes mistakes and a pesky defender. He was among the league leaders in charges drawn last season. His last game was in his first season with the Heat. The model of FiveThirtyEight paints him as a key role player this season and better than last year. Miami has options at the guard position, but nobody impacts the game quite like Lowry does. Tyler Herro is superior scorer, Victor Oladipo checks some of the important boxes, and Gabe Vincent is another great find.

Kyle Lowry was traded to the Heat from the Raptors. Miami signed him to a three-year, $85 million contract. Lowry is the third highest paid player on the team after Butler and Adebayo.