Fred VanVleet is the resident veteran on the Toronto Raptors now, along with players like Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby. From rotational players on the 2019 title squad to the future core of the team, their development has been fantastic to see.
The success of the past seems to be waning in Toronto, as the current roster has massively underachieved this season. VanVleet is not happy with how the energy in the Raptors’ crowd drops if they play badly, noting that the crowd has become very anxious.
“The crowd and the city will reflect what we do. When we play like sh*t, the crowd’s sh*t, and vice versa. When we play our brand of basketball, when we get it going in there, when we got the right energy and spirit, just that winning atmosphere, we all can build on that. It goes the other way sometimes too. The crowd is very anxious. We gotta do our part to put together the right type of atmosphere and play and the crowd will follow suit. It’s a hard place to win when it’s going good.” (h/t Yahoo Sports)
The Raptors are 35-38 this season and likely going to be a play-in team. While they won’t be an easy team to beat in the playoffs, this team is definitely not going to be making a deep run, given the issues we have seen all season long. They are likely going to continue building around Scottie Barnes, with the futures of Anunoby and Siakam in the air after a lot of speculation over the trade deadline.
What’s Next For The Raptors?
Toronto will put the pedal to the metal and try and finish this season with a .500 record or better. With 38 losses, that means they can’t afford to lose more than 3 of their remaining 9 games this season. They’ll also want to jump the 8th-seeded Atlanta Hawks to get into the 7-8 play-in matchup instead of the much harder route for teams that finish 9 or 10.
VanVleet could be a free agent in the summer and has interest around the league. Whether he can find a contract as lucrative as the one that he’s on right now is another question. VanVleet has a player option on his contract for $22.8 million next season.
With the lack of an extension agreed upon, FVV may use next season to prove to the league what his value is and accept the option if the market won’t offer him a substantial contract. He has had a down year, averaging 19.7 points, 7.1 assists, and 4.2 rebounds on 39.8% field goal efficiency.
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