Fred VanVleet and the Toronto Raptors have made no bones about the fact that they want to play a very irritating style of basketball. Given their length and versatility, Nick Nurse wanted to create a defense that swarms and forces as many turnovers as possible.
While there have been some rough patches, especially early in the season, Toronto has built a top-ten defense while establishing themselves as a viable playoff team. That uniqueness factor on the defensive end is one of the main reasons Toronto has toppled elite teams.
VanVleet, fresh off his first-ever All-Star team, is integral to Toronto’s ethos as a club. His pesky turnover creation and non-stop effort are two of the main reasons the Raptors can be such a tough out. VanVleet confirmed that Toronto’s roster has been a source of great consternation across the league.
In an interview with OverDrive, VanVleet said that some of the players at All-Star weekend voted the Raptors as their least favorite team to play against. If the best and brightest this league has to offer think that Nurse’s style of play is confusing and irritating, that’s quite the compliment for the squad Toronto has built.
“Some of the guys took a vote that we were the least favourite team to play against and we won that vote with some of the best guys in the league”@FredVanVleet on a vote that went down at All-Star weekend & what teams can expect facing the Raptors in the playoffs #WeTheNorth pic.twitter.com/XjfN8UzFFy
— OverDrive (@OverDrive1050) April 4, 2022
Fred VanVleet and the Toronto Raptors are annoying to play against.
The Raptors are a Top 10 team in the league in terms of defensive rating. They have forced the second-most steals and turnovers in the league. When Nurse can conceivably create a lineup of entirely 6-9 players, navigating that long group might prove tough for smaller ball-handlers.
The Raptors may not have a ton of physical marvels on the roster, but Nurse put this roster together by adhering to the principle of length and mobility being more difficult to score against than height. Given the results, it looks like VanVleet’s claims hold water.
VanVleet is ranked in the top 10 in the league in both steals per game and deflections per game. Not only is this making him the lynchpin in Toronto’s swarming defense, but it’s made him a legit All-Defensive Team candidate. I’d be annoyed if this whirling dervish of arms was thrown at me for 48 minutes.
Fred VanVleet over the last 2 games: 13 deflections, 9 steals, 4 blocks.
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) April 2, 2022
The Raptors take pride in being as annoying as possible, as this style of attack has helped them become one of the most successful teams in the league against high seeds. The Raptors will only go as far as that pesky defensive scheme takes them in the postseason.