Who is the best defender on the Toronto Raptors?

4. Fred VanVleet

Deciding between the order of VanVleet and the next two on this list was extremely difficult given that they all known for their physical style of defense which for the most part, works extremely well. In the case for VanlVeet, he does a great job of not only putting pressure on defenders but even going as far as to pick up his opponent from full court for almost every possession. As we saw in the NBA finals, this was helpful when going up against shooters like Stephen Curry since it gives them as little room as possible.

Standing at only 6 feet tall, the idea that taller players are able to just shoot over him is simply not true. There are multiple occasions where he has to guard wing players when he shares the court with Lowry and he still has a very positive impact as a defender. Opposing players only make 33-percent of their threes when Vanvleet is guarding them. Of course, he has more difficulty defending closer to the rim, but the way he sticks to his assignment limits the number of switches and mismatches that he’s actually put in.

Although he is not considered one of the more versatile defenders on this list, he is one of the few people who doesn’t need length to be effective at contesting jump shots. VanVleet is excellent at getting players off balance and making it uncomfortable for them to attempt their usual shots. Even with Kawhi gone, VanVleet will be surrounded by a ton of length next season to help him on defense.