Lowry on sticking with Raptors: 'I started something in Toronto and I wanted to finish it in Toronto'

Kyle Lowry is proving that his borderline All-Star 2013-14 campaign wasn't because he was in a contract year.

Through seven games this season, the Villanova product is averaging 17.9 points, 5.6 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game, while shooting an impressive 48.1 percent from the field and committing only one turnover every 22.8 minutes. He also ranks 14th in the NBA with a Player Efficiency Rating of 24.00 and ranks 10th in Estimated Wins Added with 1.5.

In specific outings, Lowry has dropped 35 points on the Boston Celtics, notched his franchise-high fourth triple-double as a Toronto Raptor and dealt some considerable damage to Andre Miller's ankle.

It could have been a very different story had Lowry not accepted the Raptors' offer of a four-year, $48-million contract this summer, which came at a time when numerous franchises – the Los Angeles Lakers, the Houston Rockets, and the Miami Heat, to name a few – were knocking on his door.

But in conversation with Sporting News's Sean Deveney, Lowry let it be known that his priority was always finishing what he started north of the border.

"Of course, I looked at other places, but at the end of the day, I started something in Toronto and I wanted to finish it in Toronto," Lowry said. "I wanted to be a part of it, I wanted to be a part of this organization and franchise. It comes with the continuity of the team, the ownership, management, coaches. Everything blends in together and you want to be part of an up-and-coming organization."

In large part because of Lowry, the Raptors are off to a franchise-best start to the season, holding a 6-1 record that has them sitting alone at the top of the Eastern Conference.