Toronto Raptors top five performances from an exciting week two

3. Fred VanVleet

Opponent: Detroit Pistons

Stat Line: 13 points, 1 rebound, 11 assists, 1 steal, 30 minutes, +21

After struggling mightily with his shooting over his past four games, Fred VanVleet was looking to bounce back in a weaker matchup against the Detroit Pistons, a team lacking a starting-caliber point guard.

The Raptors were able to build a healthy lead over the half as VanVleet decided to take on more of a scoring role prior to the break, scoring 11 of his 13 points in the first and second quarters combined. However, the lead really blew up when VanVleet played more of a facilitator role in the second half.

He dished out seven assists in the third quarter including three straight assists to Pascal Siakam during a game-clinching 10-0 run. That spurt propelled the Raptors to a 101-85 lead to begin the 4th quarter, a lead that the Pistons were unable to come back from.

VanVleet also went perfect from the free-throw line again this game (2/2), putting him at 95-percent on the year. The Raptors are currently the best free-throw shooting team in the association. Steady Freddy has been critical in those efforts.

After VanVleet blew up for 34 points in the season opener, a string of poor shooting performances caused fans to worry about how reliable VanVleet could be as a starting shooting guard. He quieted the doubters at least for one night with a well-balanced offensive masterpiece, allowing himself and his teammates to thrive as the teams’ secondary playmaker.