Fred VanVleet and the Toronto Raptors have had to deal with a whole host of injury problems already this season. Even right now, they have two key players in Pascal Siakam and Precious Achiuwa missing. Despite that, Nick Nurse’s side has been very competitive, holding a 9-8 record and sitting at eighth in the Eastern Conference table.
That is very solid when you consider how many hurdles this team has already had to face, just 17 games into the season. We have not really seen their best five on the court together much. Once the Raptors are healthy and have the majority of their players available, they could give most teams in the NBA a serious run for their money.
Of course, it is no guarantee that the Raptors will even make the playoffs this season, but VanVleet seems to be very confident in his team’s ability to do that and has issued a warning to whoever they end up facing in the postseason.
As tweeted out by NBA TV, the All-Star joined the Game Time crew in the studio. When asked about what the next step was for the Raptors to achieve playoff success, VanVleet was optimistic.
"“We got the pieces. We got the coaching. We got the support. So, I feel good about where we are but again it is all about matchups, timing, being healthy at the right time of the year. We have a chance to do some damage. I wouldn’t want to play against us in the playoffs – first round, second round. It’s gonna be a tough night.”"
"I wouldn't want to play against us in the playoffs first round, second round. It's gonna be a tough night." 👀@FredVanVleet joins the #GameTime crew to discuss the Raptors' ceiling early into the season. pic.twitter.com/Bj4ytJIkrW
— NBA TV (@NBATV) November 19, 2022
Fred VanVleet issues warning to the Toronto Raptors’ playoff opponents
The Raptors made the playoffs last season but suffered a 4-2 series defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round. Considering the gulf in star power between those two, Toronto giving that team everything they could handle was impressive.
VanVleet was not at his best in that series himself and was forced to make an exit in Game 4 due to a hip injury. Thus, he would surely want to make a better impression if the Raptors reach the playoffs this time around and erase all doubts about his ability to deliver as a leading man in the postseason.
It must be said that the Raptors as a team have improved in several key aspects since the previous season. They are better at scoring (112.5 PPG this season vs 109.4 PPG last season), overall shooting from the field (45.1 FG% this season vs 44.5 FG% last season) and playmaking (23.5 APG this season vs 22.1 APG last season).
That will make Fred VanVleet and the rest of this team feared when everyone is healthy.