Fred VanVleet

Advanced stats show that Toronto Raptors All-Star point guard Fred VanVleet is worthy of being an All-Defensive team member.

VanVleet guards the opposing ball handler 30 percent of defensive game time, putting him eighth in the league. Will he be an All-Defensive nominee? Goldsberry makes note of many non-box score stats that paint a more fulsome picture of VanVleet’s defensive efforts than what viewers and fans may perceive. However, the stats tell a different story, showing he is worthy of being an All-Defensive team member. Grabbing four steals and adding two blocks, the undersized, undrafted, overachieving All-Star made the Timberwolves uncomfortable with the ball by forcing ball-handlers to repeatedly pick up their dribble and second-guess their passing lanes. Enter VanVleet, the most underrated All-Defensive candidate of the 2022 NBA season.

VanVleet tied Pascal Siakam for the team-high in scoring. It was not the most efficient night from the field for him, but he made the most of his ...

After averaging 14.6 points in his last nine games, VanVleet doubled that total against the Heat in a losing effort. Despite the high scoring output, the sixth- ...

Lowry and the Miami Heat play the Raptors on Sunday in what will be an emotional night, as he and the city forged a strong bond.

“It was so great to have him in the community, going to these (Thanksgiving) events, because these kids are never going to a basketball game. Ahead of Saturday’s games, the Heat had a one-game lead over Milwaukee atop the Eastern Conference. The Raptors are sixth, with an identical record to the fifth-place Chicago Bulls, who hold the tie-breaker. He embodies a lot of things that the Raptors do,” added the realtor, whose goal is to see the Raptors play in all 29 NBA cities. Fred VanVleet needs just three three-pointers away from breaking the franchise record for threes in a season. “And the fact he went from a bench player who clashed with coaches to an all-star and a champion, (who showed) great leadership and loyalty. Because regardless of the jersey I’m wearing, a lot still hasn’t changed . . . and won’t ever change. Lowry was originally scheduled to return on Feb. 1, but it was one of several he missed for personal reasons. “He has scored even more off the court than he has on, in our eyes anyway,” Yan said. “It might just be a normal night in some ways, you know what I mean? Lowry was traded to Miami last summer after nine years in Toronto, where he was a six-time all-star. They’re pretty hard to find,” said Lee, who has about 400 Raptors jerseys tucked away in the basement of his Brampton, Ont., house. “Kyle was never the fastest, never the most athletic.

Raptors guard Fred VanVleet talked at length about his good friend after Kyle Lowry's homecoming game, including what it was like to match up against his ...