Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens: Toronto Raptors star Kyle Lowry 'might be most underrated player in the league'

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On the brink of a pivotal Game 5, Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens had nothing but the highest praise for Toronto Raptors leader and floor general Kyle Lowry.

"He's an All-Star but he might be the most underrated player in the league," he told the media at pre-game availability (per TSN's Josh Lewenberg). "He does everything you need to win. Somehow he's been under-appreciated, but I think the more people watch him in these setting the more people appreciate him."

Lowry deserves the credit Stevens has given him – he's been arguably the best player in this Eastern Conference Semifinals series so far and without his efforts, the Raptors may not even still be playing in the playoffs.

In what was essentially a must-win Game 3, the six-time All-Star did everything needed to make sure his team picked up a victory. He posted 31 points, eight assists, six rebounds and two steals, including an incredible inbound pass that led to OG Anunoby's game-winning 3-pointer.

In a Game 4 win to even the series, Lowry was at it again, going for a near-triple-double of 22 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, two steals and two blocks.

He was all over the floor, hustling to make the winning plays that Stevens had alluded to in the quote above. When the Celtics had an opportunity to make it a one-possession game with under a minute left, he drew his third offensive foul of the night to seal the win.

Lowry has averaged 21.5 points, 7.5 assists, 7.0 rebounds and 2.3 steals through the first four games of this series.

The Raptors will look to take their first lead in this series when they face off against the Celtics for Game 5 on Monday, Sept. 7 at 6:30 p.m. ET on TSN.

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Kyle Irving is an NBA content producer for The Sporting News.