Ex-Toronto Raptors star VanVleet has had awful shooting streak this season
If you look back on the history of the best stories in Toronto Raptors history, you don’t have to go very far down the list before you get to Fred VanVleet.
An undrafted free agent out of Wichita State who ended up becoming a key part of the 2019 NBA champions and an All-Star three years later in 2022, VanVleet became a cult hero for his legendary performances in a Raptors uniform.
Yet by the time VanVleet left Toronto for the Houston Rockets back in June 2023, certain sections of the Raptors fan base weren’t exactly annoyed at his departure.
His final season in Toronto saw the Raptors crash out of the play-in round in an infamous loss against the Chicago Bulls, and VanVleet’s reputation took a hit among many fans.
VanVleet earned a reputation as a bit of a “chucker,” leading the team with 606 attempted three-pointers on the season (8.6 per game), more than 23 per cent of the team’s 2626 long-distance shots on the year. Given that his 34.2 three-point percentage ranked sixth on the team that year, frustration mounted as VanVleet’s high rate of shooting wasn’t matched with a high conversion rate.
Dealing with an ongoing right ankle injury that saw him return on Wednesday for just his second game since Feb. 1, VanVleet isn’t exactly shooting the ball with much confidence when he has been on the floor.
In his last five games, he’s gone just 7-for-32 on three-point attempts, a measly 21.8 per cent from beyond the arc. On the year, VanVleet’s 34.0 per cent is the worst mark of his career, a touch below his final season in Toronto.
Of all guards this season to attempt an average of seven three-pointers a game or more, VanVleet ranks 26th out of 29th in that group in terms of three-point percentage.
But that’s not to say VanVleet isn’t providing value to the Rockets despite his shooting woes. At 41-25 and sitting in fifth place in the Western Conference, the Rockets have still benefited from him, particularly on the defensive end of the floor.
His .124 Win Shares/48 minutes rank 13th in that group of 29 guards, ahead of names like Devin Booker, James Harden, and Trae Young. His defensive box plus-minus is sitting at 1.5, which is the second-best mark of his career and better than any of his Toronto seasons as a starter.
And even though he might still be shooting the ball a fair bit at 7.9 three-point attempts per game, his usage rate of 17.9 per cent is the lowest of his career. It ranks third on the team amongst Houston’s regular starting five and noticeably lower than his 21.9 average during his seven seasons in Toronto.
This suggests that VanVleet has taken on a lower offensive load overall during his time with the Rockets, deferring more to youngsters like Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green.
In any case, while certain fans in Toronto may not miss his high-risk, high-reward style of play, VanVleet probably doesn’t have too many regrets about the move to Houston, even if he could stand to sink a few more shots.