Fred VanVleet could offer only a smirk. Looking up from his chair inside the Toronto Raptors’ locker room at the Air Canada Centre last Tuesday, the undrafted rookie had no other recourse as Jared Sullinger needled him. While Sullinger had drawn another DNP-CD (Did Not Play – Coach’s Decision) as he works his way back into game shape and into the rotation, VanVleet avoided the dreaded acronym with a whopping 0.5 seconds of playing time.
“That’s gonna hurt your averages,” Sullinger laughed.
Incredibly brief appearances have become somewhat commonplace for VanVleet, who finds himself third on the team’s depth chart at the point in a loaded guard rotation. A week prior, he’d played just 4.5 seconds. On 11 other occasions, he’s played fewer than five minutes. And, of course, he’s drawn 32 DNP-CDs of his own. That’s VanVleet’s lot as a freshman – sporadic but important late-game appearances, a lot of individual work, and some time with Raptors 905 in the D-League – and it’s one sophomores Norman Powell and Delon Wright can relate to. It’s taken some time to get comfortable following years as the go-to guy at Wichita State, but VanVleet’s figuring it out.
“I think I’ve gotten better. Early on it was tough, just trying to get adjusted to the NBA life in general,” VanVleet said Monday. “But I think now I’m good with it. The off-day work and the time when you’re not getting ready for the game is most important for me – to workout and eat right and stay ready – in that sense, so when you’re thrown out there, now you just gotta switch the mental switch and go out and perform.”
With the exception of a game Kyle Lowry sat for rest and one Cory Joseph sat for illness, this is VanVleet’s role, and it’s one he understands how to thrive in now.
Or it was his role, rather.
On Friday morning, head coach Dwane Casey gave VanVleet the heads up that he was being moved to the No. 2 spot in the point guard rotation. With the team wanting to give the struggling Joseph a bit of a reprieve (mental or physical or both), VanVleet was going to be Lowry’s primary backup when the Raptors took on the Orlando Magic. VanVleet’s done well to stay ready for his spot minutes to date, but the knowledge that he’d be playing a more substantial – and certain – role necessitated a slight change in mental approach.
“Luckily, before I played in Orlando, we talked about it in the morning, about me playing at night, so I had a little bit of time to, you know, just get more mentally locked in,” VanVleet said Monday. “It’s a different sense if I know I’m playing second point guard, I’ll just know in my mind that alright, under three minutes to go first quarter, that’s my first run. That type of stuff, versus alright, if I get in when we’re a blowout, I’m ’bout to try this, this, and this. You know what I mean? I visualize it the same way, I watch film the same, just probably a little bit more detail.”
The change in preparation goes beyond just the few hours before the game, too. While a full depth chart might mean deep bench players can go a little harder in practice or cheat on a meal on the road here and there, the knowledge that important minutes are coming shifts the approach over the entire 24-hour preparation cycle.
“You may sleep a little bit longer. Your naps become more important than trying to skip a nap to watch a show or answer the phone. You get a little bit more strict with your routine. You kinda can fall out of line with that sometimes when you’re getting a bunch of DNPs,” VanVleet explains, giving a nod to have life at the back of the rotation is different. “I’m definitely not eating burgers and milkshakes before the game if I know I’m going out there. I mean, you may stay up to watch that late West coast game, or, you know what I mean, you might talk to mom a little bit longer on the phone instead of taking your nap. Just little things like that you tweak here and there.”
However VanVleet prepared, what he did worked. Despite not playing more than 10 minutes since Jan. 17 and without a D-League tuneup since Jan. 10, he gave the Raptors 23 quality minutes. Offering steady defense and flashing some smart, crafty passes, VanVleet also poured in 15 points, and while he admits he was a little gassed at the end of each of his stints, he was pleased with his performance. The Raptors were, too, it seems, as despite turning back to Joseph late in that game, VanVleet was once again in the backup role Sunday. Again, he impressed with his defense and ability to run the offense, and not even a 2-of-10 shooting mark could keep him from grading well. All told, VanVleet scored 25 points with six rebounds, seven assists, and a plus-2 mark over those two games.
“I thought Fred did a good job with us resting or giving Cory a blow. I thought he took advantage of those minutes,” Casey said. “I think it’s something where Fred has done an excellent job but Cory is our energy backbone, plug him in and he’s ready to go. I think just to give him a rest physically will do that.”
For now, VanVleet seems to have accomplished his task, giving Joseph a breather. On Monday, Joseph was back in his usual role while VanVleet drew a zero in the minutes column. Vanvleet knew this might be coming, and there’s little he can do about it for now. Given the opportunity, he showed he can be trusted if Joseph stumbles again, if Lowry needs a night off, or if injury should strike. In the meantime, he’s learned a bit about how to get and stay ready in a different job, and that should prove valuable. The chance to play meaningful minutes outside of don’t-call-it-garbage time is also important for VanVleet’s own development, giving him not only experience but actual film to study
“Yeah, it’s good and bad,” VanVleet laughs. “When you get up there in blowouts scoring five points in two minutes, it’s a little bit easier to feel good about yourself than playing 25 and making 100 mistakes. I’m glad that I’ve played and have some film to break down and see where I can get better at.”
When VanVleet will be needed next is unclear. Because he can’t control it, there’s not a lot of sense in focusing on it. That doesn’t mean ascending the pecking order once again isn’t on VanVleet’s radar, though. After all, he had to scrap his way to a camp invite, then to make the roster and to keep four point guards with Wright healthy. The end-goal is loftier than a roster spot, but for now, VanVleet’s just trying to prove himself chance by chance, perhaps inciting some competition that will make everyone better off in the process.
“Yeah, I mean, all of those things were my focal point from Day One. But you gotta do one before you can do the other,” he said. “I can’t challenge Cory without making the 15, right? Now it’s just a matter of being the type of player they hate to leave on the bench, and that’s all I’m trying to do. I’ll adjust to whatever role and whatever it is.
“I also think it’s healthy. Not healthy for him to not play, obviously, ‘cause I’ll probably be in that position one day, too, and I don’t want that to happen to me. But healthy for him to…not relax, you know what I mean? We don’t talk about it, I don’t know what the reasoning was, I don’t question the coaches at all. I just trust that they know what they’re doing, and if they ask me to play, I’ll be ready, and if not, fine.”
