The Rap Up: Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan are the best 1-2 punch in Raptors history

When it comes to stars, the 21-year old Toronto Raptors have no shortage of them. But it seems that they haven't been able to successfully mesh a pair in the past.

The concensus around Toronto is that Vince Carter is the best Raptor in franchise history. Toronto had its best seasons with Vinsanity at the helm, including an appearance in the second round of the NBA playoffs. In fact, without Carter, the Raptors may have suffered the same fate the Grizzlies did when they moved away from Vancouver.

Carter arguably put the Raptors on the radar, and brought the team its first playoff series in his sophomore year. He also led the team to their only Eastern Conference semifinals and extended the matchup to seven games. The Raps were facing Allen Iverson's 76ers, who would advance to the NBA finals.

Vince's sidekick during his heydays in Toronto was none other than Antonio Davis, who was brought in as a veteran big man to fill the void left by Marcus Camby's departure. Davis played the best ball of his career with the Raps, earning an All-Star appearance and averaging a double-double in 2001.

During Carter's final season, the Raptors were in the process of grooming their prized big man from the impressive 2003 Draft class, Chris Bosh. Soon after Carter was shipped off to New Jersey, Bosh was quickly given the keys to the engine and took over as the Raptors top dog.

The Raptors tried to pair Bosh with many different players, from a point guard in Mike James to 2006 first overall pick Andrea Bargnani all the way to free agent pickup Hedo Turkoglu. Guys like Charlie Villanueva and Morris Peterson also got a chance to emerge as the jab to Bosh's punch, but none of those options worked out. The Raptors managed just two playoff berths and never made it out of the first round.

DeMar DeRozan was drafted one year after the Raptors' final playoff appearance with Bosh. Widely regarded as a prospect with one of the highest potentials in the draft, the 6'7" guard is just now entering his prime after six seasons.

Much like Bosh, DeMar was thrown into the fire once the power forward took his talents to Miami. DeRozan saw his usage rate grow from 18.1% his rookie year to 23.2% and a 13 minute per game increase during the 2010-11 season.

After trying out DeRozan as the primary option, it was clear he needed some help on the offensive end to take some pressure off him.

That's when Bryan Colangelo and the Raptors decided to bring in budding star Rudy Gay.

Gay's presence in the lineup took a ton of weight off DeRozan's shoulders. No longer required to go up against the opponent's best defender, DeMar's numbers were a shade better with Rudy on board.

Not good enough though.

The following season, Rudy Gay got off to a terrible start, shooting a pedestrian 38% from the floor. He wasn't the answer.

Enter Kyle Lowry.

Lowry was acquired the offseason before Rudy Gay's arrival, but was splitting time with Jose Calderon as the lead guard. With Calderon out of the equation, the job was Lowry's to lose.

And he took it by storm.

In his first season at the helm, Lowry proved he was not only a capable starter, but had the potential to become one of the best all-around point guards in the league.

Now, paired with DeMar, the Raptors own one of the top backcourts in the league. The Lowry-DeRozan duo has flourished into a pair of All-Stars and one of the best friendships in the NBA.

Only Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson can claim to be a more productive backcourt in the NBA. While Lowry and DeRozan will likely never become the shooters that the Splash Brothers are, both of their games have been recognized across the league, culminating in an All-Star appearance.

Lowry and DeRozan's games complement each other so much, to the point that they've become the best the Raptors ever had. Especially since Drake dropped "Best I ever had" back in 2009. They just clicked on and off the floor.

The duo has led a win-starved franchise to two of their most successful seasons yet, and are on pace to add another great year to the team's history books. There is no doubt that Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan are the best tandem in franchise history and are paving the way for the glory years of the Toronto Raptors.

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