Entering his 15th season and his ninth in Toronto, there are no surprises with Raptors franchise icon Kyle Lowry.

You knew – for example – that in his public comments (via conference call) since being eliminated in the playoffs back in September there would be some kidding, but not kidding pokes at the media who Lowry enjoys avoiding and jousting with equally, if only to disguise the fact that he’s actually fairly co-operative as long as it on his terms.

So, Kyle, how are you liking Tampa, was the softball opener:

“The adjustment is fine. I’m an American, so I’m in my homeland. I’ve got a nice place. We’re all there and set up and ready to go in the sense of being here,” he said. “They’ve done an unbelievable job with our practice facility, our locker room. They have done a great job with making everything as ‘home’ as possible.”

Now, wait for it …

“And it’s even better because you guys aren’t here.”

There should have been a pool going.

And – also predictably – Lowry is optimistic that his club will be competitive this season, which is more of a “sun rises in the East” kind of thing. Why a team a season removed from an NBA championship and that followed up by posting the league’s second-best record gets overlooked is another story, but Lowry – the league’s most underrated superstar – is used to that.

“I think that (with) the units of how we’re going to play, we’ll surprise people,” he said, referring to the small lineups the Raptors seem to be trending toward and were effective in small doses last season. “And — you guys know — we play our hearts out, we hang our hats on that. Playing hard gets you wins. Playing extremely hard will get you some wins.”

Lowry’s going to do his part – no surprise there. He’s the team’s engine. When he revs it up, it’s hard for everyone else not to follow. He’ll make the smart plays, take the charges, dive for the loose balls and bulldoze his way to the rim when a bucket is needed. Raptors fans know how the movie goes.

But how will the movie end? Lowry is in the last year of his contract and not eligible for an extension.

Projecting Lowry as a Raptor beyond this season is nice to speculate about, but when his age-35 season rolls around, Lowry will likely be in demand and in search of a ring, in Toronto or elsewhere.

Discussions with Raptors president Masai Ujiri and general manager Bobby Webster about his future with the team aren’t on his day planner for the moment.

“No, we haven’t (talked)” Lowry said. “My goal is to stay focussed on trying to win a championship with the Toronto Raptors. That has always been my goal. I will let the other stuff play itself out.

“Of course, at some point, the conversation will happen, but right now let’s just get started. Let’s get into the regular season. Let’s get going and set the goal that we have and that is to win a championship. Other than that, I haven’t talked to those guys about my personal career after this year. We haven’t talked. Right now, it’s all about just getting ourselves going and get ourselves to start the season and get going here in Tampa and be in a good spot.”

If and when Lowry does sit down with the organization, his first question might be: “Why the hell didn’t we re-sign Serge Ibaka?” because it’s hard to argue that Ujiri and Webster pulled out all the stops to make sure Lowry’s last guaranteed season as a Raptors is as successful as possible.

An organization that lost not one, but two of its veteran centres (Ibaka signed with the Los Angeles Clippers while Marc Gasol signed with Lakers) in the off-season, in large part because they wanted to preserve cap space in the summer of 2021, could have some explaining to do.

Lowry wasn’t about to lower the boom in training camp – stirring the pot is not his style, but he didn’t pretend that he wouldn’t miss Ibaka and Gasol, the big-man tandem that helped the veteran point guard get his ring just 18 months ago.

In particular, Ibaka signing for two-years and $18.5 million with the Clippers – the Raptors weren’t offering more than one season and $14 million — was a blow, professionally and personally.

“I talked to Serge before it happened and he told me (he was leaving),” said Lowry. “… I’m always happy for any of my teammates when they get paid and getting an opportunity to provide for their families and to go where they want to go and be happy. Serge looked at an opportunity for him to be happy, be successful, get paid, possibly win a championship and go on from there (but) … It definitely hurt because I like Serge. He’s wonderful off the court. He’s my guy.”

And so the team that has taken shape in Lowry’s image heads into what could be his last season in Toronto with some uncertainty.

“Well, we’re definitely different. We’re completely different,” said Lowry. “Aron (Baynes, the free-agent big signed to help fill the gap at centre) is really good. He is a solid big. Chris Boucher is going to have to step up. There will be a lot more small ball, I believe … but we are a different team,” said Lowry. “I think we have an opportunity to surprise some people, but at the end of the day you still got to go out there and lace ‘em up and put the ball in the hole and play defence.”

It’s an interesting way for a franchise to celebrate an icon, the player who will be the first to have his jersey retired and very likely have a statue outside Scotiabank Arena someday.

Ujiri can’t gush enough about Lowry when he gets the opportunity. Back in September when asked about Lowry’s leadership in the bubble, for example, Ujiri sounded like he was already heating up the bronze and figuring out where to put the thing:

“That guy is a stud. OK? I’m telling the whole world that guy is incredible,” Ujiri said. “What he has done for this whole organization… I don’t want to start pushing him as a Hall of Famer and all this stuff, because I want 10 more incredible years from this guy. It seems to me, the older he becomes, the better he becomes. It’s crazy. I’ve never seen anything like that. As a human being, as a person, as a teammate, Kyle was phenomenal.”

Over his years in Toronto, we’ve all come to know these things to be true – predictable even.

But before his number is retired or the statue made, the Raptors owed Lowry his very best chance to win one more time and it’s hard to argue that’s what happened between last season and now.

And that? That’s a surprise.

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