VanVleet's shooting struggles have only continued after leaving Raptors
The Toronto Raptors haven’t exactly been lighting up the NBA this season, carrying a 1-2 record through their first three games.
But things haven’t exactly been going swimmingly for the Raptors’ biggest free agency loss of the offseason, either.
Fred VanVleet’s departure this summer on a three-year, $130 million contract to the Houston Rockets came as a shock to many, with the veteran point guard opting to leave the only NBA franchise he’d ever known.
Having spent his entire pro career with the Raptors, VanVleet saw his scoring numbers take a slight dip in 2022-23 after making his first career All-Star game a year prior.
With Toronto struggling through a 41-win campaign last season, VanVleet was often an easy target for criticism when the team wasn’t looking at its best on the offensive end.
The Raptors went just 8-18 in games in the 26 games where VanVleet shot less than 30% from beyond the arc, while they went 25-17 in games where he suited up and hit above that mark.
And though it’s barely been a week into the new NBA season, it’s safe to say VanVleet has struggled a little bit to find success with his new team.
Through three games with Houston, he’s averaging 15.3 points, which is the lowest mark of his career in his five seasons as a consistent starter.
It’s an extremely small sample size, to be sure, but it’s still a discouraging start for one of Houston’s biggest additions this summer.
VanVleet went 2-for-13 from the field (0-for-6 from 2, 2-for-7 from 3) and scored just eight points against the Warriors on Sunday, with Houston dropping their third straight game to begin the year, as they’re one of just four NBA teams without a win yet on the year.
From distance, VanVleet is 8-for-23 on the season and 4-for-17 in his last two games, a mark of .348 that’s well below his career .373 average. With a league average from beyond the arc at .361 over the course of the 2022-23 season, VanVleet would be the first to tell you he’s not playing up to par.
Fred VanVleet was pretty candid last night about his game as the Houston Rockets fell to 0-3.
He went 2-for-13 from the field (0-for-6 from 2, 2-for-7 from 3) and scored just eight points against the Warriors.
"How did you feel about your overall offensive production and theā¦ pic.twitter.com/zFd5gPAso3
— Adam Laskaris (@adam_la2karis) October 30, 2023
“Sh*t. Sh*t. You give the other team credit, they’re a championship-calibre team… but you gotta be able to adjust, you’ve got to have counters,” VanVleet told reporters Sunday of his offensive performance against Golden State.
Houston has been giving VanVleet plenty of opportunities to shoot ā his 15.3 field goal attempts per game trail just Jalen Green on his own team ā but the shots haven’t been falling for him of late.Ā Over the course of the year, VanVleet’s effective field goal percentage is just .457, his lowest since his rookie season of 2016-17.
Inside the arc, VanVleet’s not done much better, going only 9-for-23. Most alarmingly, he’s had a rough conversion rate right near the basket, going just 5-for-13 on shots less than five feet.
It’s a long season, and a relatively long contract for VanVleet to live up to, but he’ll need to step it up if he’s looking to endear himself to a new fanbase.
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