Can new-look Lowry sustain his stellar early-season play in 2016?

The Toronto Raptors are in fine shape heading into the new year.

Canada's team sits third in the Eastern Conference at 20-13 after having survived the lengthy absences of starters Jonas Valanciunas and DeMarre Carroll, and Toronto is one of only five teams - along with Golden State, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, and Cleveland - to boast a top-10 rating on both ends of the court.

DeMar DeRozan is playing the best basketball of his career, and is likely on his way to an Eastern Conference Player of the Month award. The bench, while sometimes anemic, is defensively capable enough to support the starters, and even the ever-inconsistent Terrence Ross has put together the best month of basketball he's played in two years.

Still, the team's engine remains Kyle Lowry - a top-tier point guard during the position's golden age - and, as the Raptors found out down the stretch last spring, Toronto will only go as far as Lowry does.

With second through 10th place separated by only three games in the astoundingly improved Eastern Conference, Lowry's health and durability are as important as ever north of the border.

The 29-year-old's play this season has been terrific. He is averaging 20.6 points, 6.2 assists, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.2 steals on an effective field goal percentage of 49.7. He ranks fourth in ESPN's RPM Wins metric, fifth in Basketball Reference's win shares, and 16th with a player efficiency rating of 22.8.

For what it's worth, the nine players in NBA history to post a season of at least 20, six, four, and two with a win shares per 48 minutes above .200, as Lowry is currently achieving, are named Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Penny Hardaway, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul, Stephen Curry, and Russell Westbrook.

If there's an area of concern, however, it's that after Lowry's quality of play fell off a cliff around this time last season, he's struggled to the tune of 36 percent shooting over his last 10 games. The similarity in his pre-New Year's numbers from last season to this year are eerie, leaving Raptors fans wondering if another second-half collapse is in the cards.

If there's a reason for hope, it's that the tailspin that curtailed what first looked like a career year in 2014-15 appeared linked to lingering injuries, including back, hamstring, and hand injuries that clearly robbed Lowry of some of his mobility. This year's slimmed-down version still possesses the quickness he began the season with, and that remains more evident on the defensive end this year than it was last season (Lowry leads all point guards in Defensive RPM).

In addition to the physical transformation that had the whole league buzzing during training camp, head coach Dwane Casey believes another development will make Lowry's 2015-16 play more sustainable than his 2014-15 start.

"I think the experience he went through last year ... I think he understands now that when he comes out (of the game), whatever time he does, saves him minutes," said Casey about his relentless point guard, adding: "Every great player I've ever been around hates coming out of the game, and they don't understand the big picture. ... He's no different, but I think he understands a little bit better this year why. In certain situations, let's get him out, let's buy him some minutes."

Raptors fans will be encouraged to learn that Lowry is more accepting of the need for rest and down time, but the All-Star has actually logged more than an additional minute per game this season (35.7) compared to the same time last year (34.5), with only four players logging more than Lowry's 1178 minutes played (DeRozan is one of them).

In addition, Lowry's Usage Rate of 26.8 percent is only 0.1 percent lower than at the same point last season, when he was carrying a DeRozan-less offense after DeMar went down with a groin injury.

Plus, with the nightly competition in the aforementioned compact East, and little separation between a No. 2 seed and a lottery ticket, it could be tough for Casey and the Raptors to find rest for Lowry, who sees Toronto perform 10.8 points better per 100 possessions when he's on the court as opposed to on the bench.

Those minutes and that dependency won't change. How his body reacts to it all this time around will have to for the Raptors to finally take the next step.

If the last couple weeks are but a blip on the radar - a simple slump that even the greatest talents encounter - and the new-look Lowry proves more physically capable of shouldering a season-long load this time around, then the Raptors have a legitimate top-20 (if not top-10) superstar and an outside chance at the East Final.

If the load once again proves too much, and Lowry wears down between now and April, so too will those very Raptors.

No pressure, Kyle.