Toronto Raptors: 3 reasons re-signing Fred VanVleet is a good move

2. The leader of the bench unit

Another large part of Toronto’s elite play this past season was the ascension of its bench-unit to one of the best in the league.

Ranked in the top 10 in points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and field goal percentage, the Raptors’ non-starters gave the team an extra boost on both ends once the starters subbed out of the game.

At the heart of this breakthrough for a Raptors squad that was heavily reliant on its best players in years past was VanVleet.

He finished third in the voting for Sixth Man of the Year and, as the point guard, orchestrated the offense with a steadying presence and veteran-like decision making.

If Toronto wants any chance at the conference title next season, it’ll need to at least maintain all of the formulae from their record-breaking 2018.

It is for that reason that bringing back VanVleet was a no-brainer. Without him, the second unit would most likely sputter, turning a prior strength into a weakness for the Raptors.