Greivis Vasquez is more than just a backup.
I have been critical of Greivis Vasquez on this space. At times, unfairly critical.
Personally, I tend to harp on Vasquez’s limitations, of which are obvious. He’s a willing, but streaky shooter. On days where his shot — be it his transition pull-up 3-pointers or his precarious one-legged push-floaters in the lane — isn’t on, Vasquez can be hard to stomach. His on-ball defense isn’t great, either. Vasquez has good instincts, but he is slow-footed. In a 120-112 loss to the Cavaliers on Wednesday Kyrie Irving’s uninterrupted forays to the basket against Vasquez drew help defenders, which inevitably led to open 3-pointers.
Fixating on Vasquez’s shortcomings misses out on the virtues that he brings to the team, of which, there are many. Vasquez isn’t getting paid $6.5 million this season and the next for nothing. He’s a decent player.
Vasquez reminded us of his value during the three games Kyle Lowry sat out. In 34 minutes per game, Vasquez averaged 10.7 points and eight assists against just 1.7 turnovers. He also connected on a respectable 43.8 percent on 3-pointers.
His recent stint at point guard is in line with his solid production as a starter this season. Vasquez has filled in at shooting guard, and occasionally at small forward, owed in part to Vasquez’s size — at 6-foot-6, Vasquez can play multiple positions. In 19 starts this season, Vasquez is averaging 10.8 points and 4.5 assists in 29.3 minutes per start, along with 39 percent shooting from deep.
It’s not spectacular, but when Vasquez has been called upon, he has been reliable. And most importantly, the Raptors have fared well in his starts. The Raptors are 12-7 with Vasquez in the starting unit, a win percentage more or less on par with their season pace.
“This year has been tough for me,” Vasquez told Eric Koreen of the National Post. “I have to adjust to one, two, three different roles.”
Vasquez worn many hats in his five seasons in the NBA.
He started off as a fringe contributor with the Memphis Grizzlies after being drafted 28th overall in 2010. Vasquez didn’t receive much playing time, but made a name for himself in the playoffs. Vasquez played an instrumental role in the Grizzlies’ breakout in the 2011 playoffs. Playing as the sixth man, Vasquez helped propel the Grizzlies to a thrilling 7-game upset over the San Antonio Spurs.
The Grizzlies shipped Vasquez to New Orleans that offseason. He came into the job as a backup behind Jarrett Jack, but eventually won the starting gig. The season thereafter, with a dynamic frontcourt of Ryan Anderson and a rookie Anthony Davis, Vasquez was handed the starting job and he ran with it. Vasquez went on to lead the league in total assists. Vasquez looked to have carved out a niche in the league.
But, once again, Vasquez was forced to move. He landed on the Kings by way of a sign-and-trade and had to battle, once more, for playing time. Between the pressures of playing under a new head coach and a totally different system, Vasquez struggled. He posted respectable numbers, but the Kings went just 4-14 in his 18 games in Sacramento.
Then, for the third time in three seasons, Vasquez was traded once more. This time, he landed with the Raptors.
In his time here, Vasquez has again morphed to suit different roles. Last season, Vasquez was the team’s undisputed sixth man. He formed a wicked two-point guard lineup with Kyle Lowry and was an integral contributor in the Raptors eventual seven-game playoff loss to the Brooklyn Nets.
But this season, with the addition of Lou Williams, Vasquez’s role changed once more. Now, he’s more like the seventh or eighth man, playing the role of table-setter for a second unit that mostly relies on the backcourt to supply offense.
“That’s my goal from now on, if I start or if I don’t start: trying to get 10 assists. That’s my job,” Vasquez said. “That’s what I do best. We’ve all got to do what we do best, whatever role you have. At the end of the day, we’ve got to eliminate those one-on-one plays, the selfishness.”
For better or for worse, turmoil has been the defining characteristic of Vasquez’s career to date. Such is life for flawed players like Vasquez, who aren’t clear-cut starters in a time where star point guards are in abundance.
Out of necessity, Vasquez has learned to roll with the punches, figuring out at each step where he can slot in and help his team. He’s been the unquestioned starter, the deep bench player, the two-guard, the scoring sixth man and the back-up point guard. It’s how he’s made his way in the league — he’s learned to adapt.
“I’ll do whatever to help my team win. If I have to sacrifice whatever I need to sacrifice it, I’ll do it. I believe in this team. I believe in our coach, our coaching staff. I believe in my teammates. If I have to start, I come out and start. If I have to come off the bench, if I have to play [fewer] minutes, if I have to be a practice player, I don’t care. All I want to do is win. I want to be playing in May.”
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Slowly and quietly, Vasquez has developed into a solid contributor to the Raptors’ bench unit this season.
Vasquez started slow this season. With newcomer Lou WIlliams supplanting his role as the designated bench scorer, Vasquez went through the motions of figuring out his role as a distributor within a somewhat one-dimensional bench unit. That manifested in Vasquez hoisting awkward, disjointed shots outside the rhythm of the offense. Vasquez posted a True-Shooting Percentage of 47.9 in November, which dipped to 45.4 in December.
From January onwards, Vasquez has looked much more comfortable in his own skin. His usage rate dipped from 24 to 19 percent, leading to a jump in shooting efficiency. He followed up a TS% of 56.1 in January with a solid 53.9 in February.
As Vasquez has improved, so has the bench. The five-man unit of Tyler Hansbrough, Patrick Patterson, James Johnson, Williams and Vasquez has formed the team’s best unit by net points, outscoring opponents by an average of 13.8 points per 100 possessions. Vasquez’s steady guidance has helped to keep the unit humming, despite playing with no credible pick-and-roll bigs.
Like all luxuries, Vasquez is somewhat redundant.
His scoring from the backcourt has been taken up by Williams. That’s more than fair. Williams has been a strong contributor off the bench and he’s a better shot creator.
Vasquez’s playmaking is also a luxury. Between Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan soaking up the majority of minutes in the backcourt, Vasquez doesn’t really figure in as a ball-handler during important situations. He spots minutes as an off-guard, but his defense is too spotty to effectively stick with Lowry and DeRozan.
But there are situations in which Vasquez is useful. Most notably, he’s the Raptors’ best passer out of the pick-and-roll.
The key to Vasquez’s effectiveness is his vision, coupled with his height. At 6-foot-6, Vasquez always keeps his head up on drives and isn’t afraid to wade into a crowd before finding the open man. That sets him aside from Lowry, who is more willing to call his own number and DeRozan, who isn’t a great dribbler in traffic. That’s why Vasquez is often on the court when defense employ aggressive trapping strategies. Unlike Lowry and DeRozan, he has the angle and vision to make the pass.
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Not to be overlooked, it’s good to have a cheery personality in the locker room, especially during tough times.
Vasquez’s confident and gregarious bravado has been a calming influence. He speaks often of swagger, an apt description for the approach that he takes onto the court each and every night.
Amid a rough stretch of seven losses in eight games, Vasquez found the silver lining. Following their loss to Cleveland, Vasquez spotted the positives in a hard-fought loss.
“I think this game can really set us up to get our swag, our confidence back,” as relayed by RR’s Kiyan Sobhani. “We lost but shared the ball, the scoring was spread out, we had guys play extremely well and we took the lead, the crowd got into it and that’s playoff basketball right there. For us it’s a great learning process. We’re playing for something down the road.”
Vasquez was also quick to praise and support his teammates. He wants to see the team win. He wants to help out. He’s vowed to be a more selective shooter and a more willing passer.
And in following suit with his head coach and teammates, Vasquez has also cast his support behind Lowry and DeRozan, who have struggled for much of 2015.
“Obviously, he (Lowry) and DeMar are our two best players,” Vasquez told Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun. “We want to finish the season the right way. Kyle knows what he’s doing. He’s a great pro and he cares about this team and this city.
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Ultimately, my goal with this rambling feature isn’t to bill Vasquez as something he’s not. He has some obvious limitations and he’s a bit redundant.
But I think we harp too much on his shortcomings and not enough on his virtues. I know I’m guilty of this.
So here it is: Vasquez has been a solid professional who’s taken on every role the Raptors have hoisted on his shoulders. He has also stepped up when the team has been shorthanded. And for a team over-reliant on their backcourt to generate offense, Vasquez’s heady passing is a welcome sight. Most importantly, he’s gone about it all with a sunny disposition and an encouraging attitude.
At the end of it all, Vasquez is a solid player who the Raptors can trust to produce, both as a bench contributor or spot starter. In that sense, he’s a bit like insurance. You don’t want to rely on it, but insurance makes the fall shorter if something does goes wrong. For all that Vasquez does, he brings the luxury of security.
