Jonas Valanciunas knows Fred VanVleet is All-Star, Raptors leader

Fred VanVleet and the Toronto Raptors remain unblemished in 2022, as they managed to win a slow-paced slugfest against the New Orleans Pelicans in Jonas Valanciunas’ return to Canada. VanVleet was the primary offensive generator once again, scoring 32 points in the victory.

VanVleet has been under the microscope all season long, as he was tasked with both replacing Kyle Lowry as the leader of this team and stepping up on the offensive end. Considering that his numbers are worthy of an All-Star game selection, he’s filled that role with confidence and aplomb.

Valanciunas knows what it takes to win in this city, as he was a key member of those Lowry/DeMar DeRozan teams that consistently placed near the top of the Eastern Conference. Based on his postgame comments, he sounds very excited about the direction this team is heading in.

Valanciunas said that VanVleet has expertly filled the role that Lowry vacated, designating him as the “court captain” for the Raptors this season. That “court captain” has been unleashing some jaw-dropping offensive performances with regularity this season, and anything less than an All-Star appearance would be an egregious mistake.

Jonas Valanciunas knows Fred VanVleet is leading the Toronto Raptors.

VanVleet is averaging 22.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per game this season, though his last six games have been unreal. VanVleet is averaging 31.2 points per game while putting up elite shooting percentages, pushing him ahead of some Eastern Conference contemporaries.

VanVleet has done all of this while leading the league in minutes per game due to the lack of a quality backup point guard. With so many players missing time due to the health and safety protocols and various injuries, VanVleet has never shouldered an offensive burden like this.

Replacing Lowry is more than just putting up gaudy offensive numbers. Can you be the emotional heart of this team? Can you pick them up when everyone else is struggling on either end of the floor? Are you willing to step up and take the clutch shots? So far, VanVleet has been able to check all of those boxes.

The Raptors are in the thick of the postseason picture in a season that was originally billed as a learning year in which the young guys were going to get as many reps as possible. In just a half of one season, VanVleet has completely flipped the script. Valanciunas is not the only one envisioning a bright future for this team.