Toronto Raptors: Whose stock is rising, plus Steady Freddy returns

Fred VanVleet

Fred VanVleet is back and he’s probably the best point guard who ever lived. But no, seriously, Fred has looked dynamite since he returned to the team following his thumb injury.

VanVleet has averaged 17.6 points and 7.3 assists per game in his three games back. All while shooting 58-percent from three on just over five attempts per game.

He’s looked aggressive in attacking the rim and while distributing the ball in the pick-and-roll, especially when he’s playing alongside Marc Gasol. In the three games the two have played together, they have an offensive rating of 130.9 and a defensive rating of 96.1. A solid net rating of 34.8, the two have built strong chemistry in a small space of time.

With Kyle Lowry missing against the Thunder and set to miss the game on Friday night, VanVleet will likely step into the starting line-up once again. While it’ll be a drop off from Kyle Lowry, VanVleet has still proved to be a productive starter in 24 games this year, averaging 13.8 points and 5.7 assists per game, shooting 38-percent from three.

Fred’s most impactful game came against the Oklahoma City Thunder, where he scored 23 points on 8-16 shooting from the field, adding six assists and two steals.

Fred struggled down the stretch against the Thunder, but in fairness, the whole team’s performance dipped in the fourth quarter, allowing the Thunder back into the game. Let’s hope there’s no repeat of it tonight at the Scotibank Arena. We wait, with abaited breath.

That’ll do for now everyone, see you all next week.

(all videos via stats.nba.com)