NBA

Get To Know: Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet

and others

• 3 min read

Fred VanVleet has become the definition of hard work.

VanVleet came to Toronto as an undrafted rookie and has since turned himself into a household name and NBA champion.

VanVleet was named an All-Star this year, averaging career-highs of 22.0 points, 6.6 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game.

VanVleet will not only be playing in the All-Star game in Cleveland, but he'll be participating in the three-point contest.

VanVleet is the subject of this month's Get to Know.

Get to Know: Fred VanVleet

After a solid four-year college career at Wichita State, VanVleet went undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft.

VanVleet joined the Raptors' 2016 Summer League team hoping to get a shot at making the main roster in training camp. After impressing at Summer League, VanVleet would sign a multi-year deal with the Raptors. He later earned a spot on the 15-man roster to start the season.

Minutes were hard to come by for VanVleet in his rookie season, but he was able to open eyes and develop by going to the G League and playing on a talented Raptors 905 team that featured the likes of Pascal Siakam, Jakob Poeltl and Delon Wright. That year, the 905 went 39-11 and cruised to a G League championship, losing just one game in the playoffs.

After proving himself in the G League, VanVleet had earned a spot in the rotation on the main roster in his second season in the league. VanVleet appeared in 76 of the team's 82 games coming off the bench.

In year three in the NBA, VanVleet had his breakout season, appearing in the starting lineup for a handful of games and becoming one of the team's most reliable shooters. VanVleet was one of the key pieces to Toronto's 2019 championship run and will forever be immortalized in Raptors history with his clutch performance in Game 6 of the NBA Finals.