Toronto Raptors: End Of Year Report Cards
Fred VanVleet
Fred VanVleet is quickly becoming one of the best reserve point guards in the NBA. The 25-year old posted career highs across the board. He scored 11 points and dished out 4.8 assists per game.
VanVleet’s totals put him in the top 30 among point guards in scoring. In addition, he ranked fifth among point guards with a 3.74 assist to turnover ratio. When stacked against all players in the NBA he ranked sixth.
With most of his former “bench mob” members elsewhere, VanVleet was given the reigns. He continued to develop into an effective leader and floor general. Having two high caliber point guards is a luxury that not many NBA teams have.
It was a tale of two Fred VanVleet’s in the postseason. Through the first two rounds, he shot a combined 22.6 percent from the field. In addition, he only connected on 12.5 percent of three-pointers over Toronto’s first 12 Playoff games.
A struggling VanVleet was looking for something, anything to rejuvenate his game. It did not take long for him to become the “punching bag” for disgruntled Raptors fans. In a game of ebbs and flows, it was only a matter of time before he broke out of his cold streak.
On May 20th everything changed. Fred VanVleet welcomed his son, Fred Jr. to the world. It was as if a switch had flipped inside him.
In the final three games of the Eastern Conference Finals VanVleet turned his game around. He shot 73.5 percent from the field and a ridiculous 86 percent from three-point range.
VanVleet’s confidence carried into the NBA Finals. He averaged 14 points in 6 games against the Warriors. In addition, he did not shy away from taking the big shots.
The 25-year old’s Finals play will go down in the record books. VanVleet set a record for most three-pointers made off the bench with 16. VanVleet’s heroic Finals may never be replicated again, especially by an undrafted player.
“Steady Freddy” is on a good value contract. He will earn $9 million next season. However, he will be in for a substantial raise the following year.
Fred VanVleet has become an integral part of the Raptors success. It feels as though we have watched grow right in front of our eyes. From an undrafted point guard into one of the NBA’s premier secondary floor generals, that is what happens when you bet on yourself.
Satisfying expectations: 9/10
Production relative to contract: 8.5/10
Overall output: 9/10
Total score: 26.5/30
Letter Grade: A