VanVleet had a great year for the Raptors, helping Pascal Siakam fill the void left by Kawhi Leonard’s size when Leonard escaped to join Way-off P in Los Angeles.
You might look at those shooting stats above and think, “Not a big deal, he didn’t show any growth this year; in fact, he shot 0.3% WORST from the bottom! What a bum!” But in reality, VanVleet took over a much bigger role in offense and his shooting volume was higher than ever: in his four-year career, his shots per match increased from 3.0, to 7.2, to 9.4, to a whopping 14.3 this one. year. Being able to replicate nearly 40% of threes by volume (6.9 of those 14.3 attempts per game were three) is no small feat, especially considering the additional attention VanVleet has been given. from the opposing defenses once he has entered the most important role.
It’ll probably cost a pretty penny to get away from the Raptors, as he’s also a stubborn defender and solid passer-by. In reality, he’s just a talented and intelligent basketball player who has surpassed his less-than-ideal size (6ft-1) to carve out a role as one of the best combo guards in the NBA. Even signing him shouldn’t hinder the development of Frank Ntilikina, Dennis Smith Jr., or [insert draft point guard here], because he has proven over and over with the Raptors that he can play with Kyle Lowry.