Raptors’ Wright Thriving on Playoff Stage

When Fred VanVleet went down, the Toronto Raptors hoped it was nothing major. Luckily, as he works his way back from shoulder discomfort, Delon Wright has dazzled in his place.

Being selected in the NBA’s Entry Draft, believe it or not, can work against a player. Whether someone qualifies for such an honor comes down to circumstance.

The tale of Fred VanVleet’s rise to prominence is one of the best stories to come out of this NBA season – so much so that he made ESPN’s Zach Lowe’s Top-10 (or so) “Favourite Things to Happen This Season”…

Undrafted out of Wichita State, FVV spent most of last season modeling warmup gear, playing a total of 294 minutes.

However, this season saw him assume a much larger role. Appearing in 76 games, compared to 37 a year ago, Fred “Bet on Yourself“  VanVleet became a revelation as one of the most valuable bench, not to mention clutch, players in the league. No Raptor posted a better “Net Rating” than he did in clutch minutes (removing OG and Lorenzo Brown from the equation). Furthermore, he trailed only DeMar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry, and Serge Ibaka in clutch minutes played.

But lost somewhat amidst the celebration of VanVleet’s rise to stardom, is the concurrent emergence of Delon Wright…

…we mustn’t sleep on Dorell’s younger brother.

(Just ask John Wall)

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