WHAT’S UP WITH THE RAPTORS?
Van Vleet and Wright are a case study in how winning takes all kinds
High-energy Fred VanVleet is half of the backcourt odd couple that’s giving the NBA East leaders exactly what they need. Raptors report, scoreboard page and more on
They might be a fascinating study in contrasts, Fred VanVleet and Delon Wright.
You’ve got VanVleet, the “bet on yourself” kid from Rockford, Ill. — a six-foot, 195-pound bundle of toughness and self-confidence, an undrafted gem who worked his way into the conversation of the best sixth men in the NBA in just his second year last season.
And then there’s Wright: far quieter, far less flashy, always telling the chroniclers of all things Raptors that he needs to be more assertive, more self-assured. He’s a six-footfive, 180-pounder from Los Angeles, which is about as far removed from Rockford as you’d think.
Two very different men, two very different backgrounds, two very different career paths, and it could be wildly illuminating to consider how they got to be such promising pieces of their franchise’s future given their disparate backgrounds.
But no. Ask VanVleet about it and you get psychology, not validation of the theory.
“That’s the beautiful thing about basketball,” he says. “All that stuff matters and it makes up who you are, but it really doesn’t restrict you from anything.
“You couldn’t tell that we’re any different from the way we play. You’d think we’ve been playing together for 10 years.”
He’s right, of course. VanVleet and Wright have fed off each other for most of the three years they’ve been together, a couple of guards who can play and guard both backcourt spots and ease the load on each other whenever they’re on the floor together.
“I think that gives both of those two guys, Fred and Delon, a little bit of not as heavy a burden. They don’t have to bring (the ball) up every single time,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. “They can alternate, they know all the sets or the triggers from both spots, they both can get it off and catch an outlet and go. If one of them gets it, the other one can run to the corner.
“Having them be a little inter- changeable, I think, lets them almost evenly distribute their minutes at the point and their responsibilities.”
Seamless, as if they are a single entity rather than two kids from opposite ends of the spectrum.
“We’re both just basketball players,” Wright said. “The backgrounds don’t have anything to do with it. We’re both trying to carve our roles for our careers.”
But really, they are inextricably linked to this iteration of the Raptors. It was when both emerged as legitimate NBAers that the team really took off. Their versatility, the chance they gave starting point guard Kyle Lowry to catch his breath for longer stretches of games and the multi-dimensional skills they have allowed the Raptors to become deeper, better.
“That’s the beautiful thing about the game and being a point guard,” VanVleet said. “Being able to adapt and see a lot of the same things, and I try to steal stuff that he does and I’m sure that he takes some stuff that I do. It’s a great duo, especially coming off the bench.
“I don’t toot my own horn too much, but I think that both of us are NBA starters and will be soon. To have that punch off the bench is huge at the point guard spot.”
VanVleet’s point about the commingling of men from diverse backgrounds into one functioning unit extends beyond just the two of them. The greater entity is the same: from Cameroon, Lithuania, various ports of call in the United States, the Democratic Republic of Congo — all for one.
“It’s the beautiful thing about it,” VanVleet said.
“Obviously I focus on my own team, but I’m sure you could look across the league and find similar stories.
“You look at our team and there’s guys from all over the world, from all different backgrounds, different situations … and we all end up on the same team and make it work.
“Go out there and play and become brothers. It’s a beautiful thing. It’s crazy.”