Precious Achiuwa, Fred VanVleet Return for Raptors vs. Pacers

The Toronto Raptors will have Fred VanVleet and Precious Achiuwa back in the lineup Monday night as they open the new year against the Indiana Pacers

All Raptors Staff | Jan 2, 2023

Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports

The Toronto Raptors are finally getting healthy.

Both Fred VanVleet and Precious Achiuwa will be back in the lineup Monday night as Toronto gets set to open the new year against the Indiana Pacers, the team announced.

It'll be Achiuwa's first game in almost two months after suffering a severe ankle injury back on November 9 against the Miami Heat. He's spent the past week ramping up during practice and is finally ready to take the court. Expect him to be on a minutes restriction with short stints Monday, Raptors coach Nick Nurse said earlier.

As for VanVleet, he'll make his return after two games off with back spasms. He injured himself in the first quarter last Tuesday against the Los Angeles Clippers and after trying to fight through it, Toronto opted to give him some time off to rest.

Achiuwa isn't expected to start Monday night but should move into Toronto's opening lineup at some point relatively soon. He seems poised to take over the starting center spot, having moved Gary Trent Jr. to the bench as the sixth man for the Raptors.

Malachi Flynn should continue to see backup point guard duties and it's possible Jeff Dowtin remains in the mix even with VanVleet's return. Both guards have been impressive in limited minutes without VanVleet.

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