Toronto Raptors: Fred VanVleet and the difficult path to the NBA
By Chris Conner
The Toronto Raptors are currently in first place in the Eastern Conference and are building quite the underdog story. It’s hard to imagine where they’d be without guard Fred VanVleet. VanVleet’s story is truly heartwarming but it also delivers a deep look into how difficult making the NBA is. While basketball is about many qualities, to be a part of the elite, sometimes simple luck and opportunity is all that’s needed.
Imagine succeeding at every stage while chasing your dream in life. Climbing up that invisible ladder everyone chases. You receive acclaim, were nominated for awards at each step and are eventually up for promotion.
Right when your final destination is in front of you, and the upper echelon of your journey is in reach, another battle becomes present. That’s right — you’re told that you’re good, just not good enough to perform with or against the elite. For most people, that next challenge may be simply too much.
The hard work, the accomplishments may soon feel wasted, and accepting a lesser platform becomes encouraged. Believe it or not, that’s the reality for most athletes. According to NCAA.org data from 2016, the average college participant has about a 1.1 percent chance of making the NBA. That same amount has just a 19.1 percent chance of making any professional men’s basketball association.
If you’re not good at math like me, that basically means being a professional basketball is HARD. Now consider being 6’1″ in a league that is becoming bigger and faster and more about the “unicorn” than the underdog. You now have a slight understanding of what it’s like to be Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet.
By now you probably know the story of VanVleet. You’ve heard it in similar scenarios in every walk of life — an undersized, overlooked player going undrafted, who eventually gets an opportunity with low expectations and makes the best of it.
Despite being seen as solid on both sides of the basketball, VanVleet went undrafted out of Wichita State in 2016. The Wichita State element is very important, as it’s essential in his overall makeup. During VanVleet’s four years there, the Shockers made the NCAA Tournament each year, including a Final Four in 2013.
VanVleet played with current G League forward Cleanthony Early and shared a backcourt with New York Knicks guard Ron Baker. VanVleet eventually ended his career as the MVC Player of the Year twice, third-team All-American in 2014, and a three-time AP Honorable mention All-American.
Sounds like a player that should at least be drafted right? That normally would be the case, if the NBA wasn’t weird at times. Potential and raw attributes can often be valued more than polished seasoned skills. In a recent interview with CBS Sports’ James Herbert, VanVleet gave a glimpse of how he accepted the process of going undrafted.
"“Yeah, I don’t even think about the undrafted part because it has no bearing on anything. There are so many stories about guys who made it to the NBA without the draft. Overseas, whatever, call-ups. Mine is kind of like, you know, I just think about it like you said: life-or-death type stuff. Right? Like, making it out of my city."
"“That’s all I wanted to do, is go to college. I knew I wanted to go to the NBA, but at the time I’m trying to get away from the environment I was in. I’m trying to just make it out the city first and then we’ll deal with everything else after that. So when I think about my journey, I think more about Rockford than being undrafted. That didn’t really have any bearing on me because I don’t put any stock into the draft. Because it doesn’t favor a guy like me. And I know what I’m capable of. So it doesn’t hold any weight for me.”"
VanVleet’s journey is the harsh path for many players coming out of college. A team would simply rather take their chances on a 19-year-old athletic project than a 21-23-year-old player that they believe has already shown his ceiling. In most places, the more knowledgeable and prepared you are, the better. In the NBA, the unknown can be much more intriguing and sought after.
Thus the four-year player isn’t usually as attractive as he used to be decades ago. VanVleet’s quest for NBA acceptance after college landed him in the G League with the Raptors’ affiliate, the Raptors 905, during his 2016-17 season. VanVleet continued his winning tendencies, leading the 905 to a championship while also spending time in the majors with Toronto.
In addition to a championship, VanVleet averaged 16 points per game, seven assists and 1.5 steals per game for his season. It was unknown if the Raptors had long-term plans for VanVleet initially. However, once the Raptors moved on from veteran Cory Joseph, it was clear there was a spot for another bench guard to emerge.
With Norman Powell and C.J. Miles occupying wing bench roles and heavy minutes expected again for Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, minutes appeared to be thin. Throw in Delon Wright and the odds were once again stacked against VanVleet. The Raptors had different plans, however, giving Lowry more rest and leaving more minutes for the likes of VanVleet and others.
In his interview with Herbert, VanVleet also explained his surprise to the opportunity in front of him. Given his story, a chance was truly all he needed.
"“That was a pleasant surprise. I think collectively we knew that there would be opportunity. We didn’t know what capacity or what it would look like, whether Kyle would be staggering his minutes, coming back and playing with the second unit, or whatever, DeMar [DeRozan] coming in at different times. But the way it’s happened is everybody got better and everybody came into the season ready to go and I think the coaches took a hard look at that and said, ‘Hey, we might have something here.’ And they kind of rolled the dice and said, ‘Let’s see what we got.’ They gave us an opportunity and we ran with it. We don’t plan on giving it back anytime soon.”"
VanVleet has lived up to that declaration as he’s having a fantastic season, currently playing a significant role for the first-place Raptors. It’s one he doesn’t take lightly. No one would have blamed him for succumbing to the tough road presented. But the success of his story is about perseverance and determination. Like a DeMar DeRozan dribble drive, VanVleet would not be denied.
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Who knows what the Raptors or VanVleet would look like if the franchise hadn’t changed course? They took a chance on a guy that should never have been a risk. Here’s hoping the rest of the NBA takes note. VanVleet’s story is one we should all admire — one with attributes of adversity we should all take after. The chance of potential will probably never be trumped by a presumed finished product, but with more stories like VanVleet, anything may truthfully be possible.