Toronto Raptors: Stock Take, and OG Anunoby stands above the rest

Fred VanVleet

Eugh, just when it looked like we were going to get a full health Raptors team for a sustained period of time, Fred VanVleet goes down injured. VanVleet suffered a knee contusion against the Houston Rockets and left the game early on against the Philadelphia 76ers and hasn’t seen the court since.

Hopefully, it won’t be too long of an involuntary period of the sidelines for FVV, but he has missed the last two games but was listed as questionable for the Raptors’ previous game against the Clippers.

Either way, VanVleet’s absence is glaring. He takes a large offensive load off the likes of Pascal Siakam and Kyle Lowry. He can create his own shot, provide for others, and contribute with gritty defense. His promotion to the starting lineup hasn’t been unwarranted, he’s stepped up.

With career-highs across the board, VanVleet is averaging 18 points, 3.8 rebounds, seven assists, and two steals per game this season, shooting 41-percent from the field and 39-percent from three. He took ahold of the reigns in the absence of Kyle Lowry and helped the Raptors to some of their biggest wins of the season.

In an ideal world, VanVleet wouldn’t have missed any time. Unfortunately, this isn’t an ideal world. The Raptors could be missing VanVleet for at least a few more games, and that sucks. This team is almost fully healthy once again.

VERDICT: STOCK DOWN