Toronto Raptors blame game: Who is at fault for 3-0 hole to 76ers?
By Mike Luciano
2. Fred VanVleet
When VanVleet is on from 3-point range, he can pair his usual blend of quality defense and expert marksmanship to reach a level no one thought he would during his career. However, when his shot is not falling, VanVleet can be as detrimental on the floor as he was during Wednesday night’s heartbreak. `
VanVleet has attempted 26 3-pointers over the last two games and connected on just seven of them. Even his usually sharp defense has started to fail him, as Tyrese Maxey has had success. Like Siakam, VanVleet is simply not allowed to be that poor in the second half of a must-win.
Fred VanVleet needs to be more efficient for the Toronto Raptors.
For all of VanVleet’s positive traits, he’s never been someone that was an A+ finisher at the rim due to his size. When the 3-point shot isn’t falling, VanVleet value on offense goes down the drain. The 76ers have been daring him to shoot over the last two games, and he hasn’t made him pay.
VanVleet looks gassed from his heavy workload, nagging knee injury, and general frustration with scoring against Philly’s defense. He’s still an All-Star player with the capacity to be the leader of this Raptors team, but his usual brilliance shouldn’t excuse some substandard performances of late.