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Fred VanVleet might be the smallest combo guard in NBA history as he’s shown the ability to play both PG and SG despite his small stature (6’1″, 195 lbs). While Toronto’s guards lack size, they certainly don’t lack skills with Lowry & VanVleet representing one of the best backcourts in Basketball.
Toronto’s Finals MVP and unquestioned best player Kawhi Leonard left for Los Angeles, which was supposed to put the Raptors back in the middle of the pack or at the very least, remove them from title contention. Instead, Nick Nurse is having another Coach of the Year type of season as he deserves credit for the wealth of players that have stepped up their game in Leonard’s absence. Pascal Siakam has developed into the best PF in the conference, Norman Powell has doubled his productivity, Kyle Lowry’s experiencing a scoring resurgence, and Fred VanVleet has taken his biggest jump yet from role player to high-quality starter.
Norman Powell has been a key D&3 piece for this team for years and now has the scoring prowess (16.4 PPG on 50.2% FG) to be counted on even more. Raptors GM Masia Ujiri has dipped into the undrafted free agent market time after time and found what looks to be another valuable future asset in Terence Davis. Toronto’s backcourt is rounded out by sharpshooting overseas veteran Matt Thomas who understandably hasn’t had many opportunities to contribute right away on a championship-caliber team.
If VanVleet departs this summer, the Raptors should be fine with Powell & Davis handling SG responsibilities with OG Anunoby getting more minutes as the starting SF and Kyle Lowry at the 1 for at least another year. They’ll need another contributor that can at least come in for Lowry and ideally be versatile enough to play the 2 as well. Nobody fits that role better than VanVleet himself, but as the top Free Agent that’s actually available this summer, his price could get too high for a team that has major decisions coming up in the near future. Not to mention, Masai Ujiri has proven he can find quality talent for the low. Keeping Masai Ujiri in town as the basketball decision-maker is more crucial for their sustained success than any player on the roster.
RAPTORS SG OUTLOOK: B