Fred VanVleet Bounces Back, Attacking the Lakers in the Paint as Raptors Cruise to Victory

The Toronto Raptors finally got Fred VanVleet back on track as the All-Star guard led the way to a blowout victory over the LeBron James-less Los Angeles Lakers

Aaron Rose | Dec 7, 2022

Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

It turns out Fred VanVleet hasn't lost it after all.

I mean, did anyone seriously think the Toronto Raptors All-Star point guard had suddenly forgotten how to play basketball? At 28 years old? Really?

Yes, the past five games, and frankly, the majority of the season haven't been pretty for VanVleet who came into Wednesday night shooting 36% from the floor and 34% from behind the arc. And yes, the fact that strangely unfollowing the vast majority of his teammates on Instagram seemed a little unusual. But let's be real, talent doesn't disappear that quickly.

Just ask the Los Angeles Lakers who got a first-hand look at the Freddy All-Star. It wasn't the prettiest game by any means, but it was a step in the right direction for VanVleet who helped lead Toronto to a 126-113 victory over the LeBron James and Anthony Davis-less Lakers.

Even when his shot isn't falling, as has been the case plenty recently, VanVleet's mere presence on the court creates problems for opposing defenses. He draws double teams and forces teams to respect him on the perimeter, extending their defense and opening up scoring opportunities inside.

"He’s a smart basketball player, he’s one of the best basketball players I’ve played with, one of the best minds I’ve played with," Young said. "At the end of the day, if he’s not having the best game, it’s still better than what we’ve had on the court at any given time just for the simple fact he brings so much attention to him."

Ironically it wasn't VanVleet's three-point stroke that got Toronto going early against Los Angeles. He'd come into the game shooting just 38.7% within eight feet of the hoop, the third worst in the NBA. And yet, it was his paint scoring that was paying dividends for the Raptors, as the 6-foot guard weaved his way through the Lakers' underwhelming defense for a trio of buckets in the first half. He added another four from the free-throw line and found O.G. Anunoby with a dump-off pass deep in the paint, leading Toronto with 18 points before the break.

"I thought he was much more aggressive just turning the corner tonight rather than kinda looking and probing," Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. "He didn't probe as much rather than just kinda turn it on and go so I thought I liked that."

Even when things slowed down in the second half, VanVleet kept attacking. He converted another pair of free throws after Kendrick Nunn fouled him in the paint, followed that up a kick-out pass to Anunoby for three, again from deep in the paint, and added a step-back jumper from just inside the free-throw line.

"He's the head of the snake," Chris Boucher said of VanVleet. "We go as far as they go, him and Pascal. When they're aggressive and making plays happen, I think that's the best basketball."

By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, VanVleet's night was done. He finished the evening with 25 points and seven assists in just 30 minutes of action.

Oh, and as for Instagram. It's a non-story.

"The fact that we have to talk about this is crazy in itself, but I'm just trying to fight the algorithms," VanVleeet said. "I was like let's unfollow everyone and see if it helps. Someone caught wind of that and said 'oh, I unfollowed all my teammates.' I unfollowed my mom too, but they didn't care about that. ... That's it. Nothing more and nothing less. It's going to take more than a couple of bad shooting games for me to lose my mind."

Bench Role Models

Even without LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers still opted to keep Russell Westbrook in the sixth-man role. It was a decision made to ensure some consistency in the rotation, Lakers coach Darvin Ham said pre-game, and one Westbrook has begun to accept.

"I think it says, he's selfless, he's willing to sacrifice," Ham said of Westbrook who had 16 points for the Lakers. "He's willing to add a new element and a new chamber to our team, in terms of how balanced we are, how balanced attack that we can have."

Toronto has asked for the same from Gary Trent Jr. who has so far flourished in his six games off the bench this season. It might not be how Trent had envisioned this season going, but he's shown no signs of frustration so far. Instead, he came off the bench Wednesday and dropped 18 points to go with two steals in 33 minutes.

"I thought Gary played well tonight too, I just thought he was a factor, just with his threat to score," Nurse said.