Toronto Raptors: 5 positive takeaways from the 2020-21 Season
By Avishai Sol
4. Fred VanVleet scores 54.
Let’s not forget that this happened! In a year without fans, an All-Star, or a playoff appearance, the greatest individual scoring performance in franchise history went down on a random Tuesday night in early February. 54 big ones from VanVleet beating out Lowry’s 43, Siakam’s 44, Chris Bosh’s 44, Leonard’s 45, Vince Carter’s 51, and DeMar DeRozan’s 52.
The whole fanbase needed this in the worst way. This past decade of Raptors basketball has had more or less an upward trajectory. Watching the Lowry/DeRozan era take off, the playoff battles, the records set, the emergence of new stars, the transactions, and of course the championship.
While the last few years haven’t been bad at all, the direction of the franchise has flipped to a downward slope after this year. That’s why VanVleet’s 54 was so precious. At the end of the day, who cares about some mid-season match with Orlando? But it was a spark of light in the dark tunnel that was the 2020-21 NBA season.
Fred VanVleet is a terrific story for the Toronto Raptors.
How can anyone dislike Freddy? An adorable family (including a magical baby that won Toronto the 2019 title), listed at 6’1 (though probably closer to 5’11), a 4-year college vet, undrafted, VanVleet is the ultimate underdog story.
Even past his skills on the court, it’s because of that narrative that he resonates so much with the city and with its fans. VanVleet scoring 54 put him front and center on the world stage for at least a little while, something we knew he deserved.