Why Toronto's Fred VanVleet Deserves To Be An All-Star

When the votes for the NBA All-Star Game are counted it comes as no surprise when the league's biggest stars are way out in front, with some less-established players who have made waves in the season so far also finding themselves in contention to represent their respective conferences.

The beauty of the All-Star Game is that it is possible for those from sides seeing struggles can also be selected. There is no rule to say they have to be from winning teams, so long as they are playing out of their skin, and have that recognized by fans and NBA personnel, they have earned the right to play on All-Star Sunday.

This is why - even though he is from a side who had a bad start to the season, potentially why his name has not made the early shortlist, there is no reason NBA fans should not be considering the unsung hero of the Toronto Raptors, Fred VanVleet, for an All-Star selection.

With the team seeing a significant fall in form from recent seasons it's understandable why they may have fallen off the radar for some NBA observers. What they have accomplished this season, though, should not go unnoticed, with one player in particular deserving the most recognition.

It was the 2020-21 season where VanVleet reach a new level with his game. On a team with former All-Star starters, Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam, he outshined them and outclassing everyone else. He was the team’s scoring leader, behind only Lowry in assists and has made great strides in his rebounding and three point shooting. His offensive numbers also put him in the top twenty of all guards in the NBA.

VanVleet also set team records for longest run of games with a three-pointer and the most threes made in a half, with eight. More notably, February 2nd saw him score the highest amount of points for a Raptors player in a single game, with 54 against the Orlando Magic, the night of his career so far.

His efforts are particularly impressive given that he has had one of the more arduous roads to establishing himself in the NBA. He was a four-star recruit and three-time Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year with the Wichita State Shockers, for whom he competed in four consecutive NCAA Tournaments, when he made the decision to turn professional in 2016. He seemed like a good prospect and likely to hear his name called on Draft Night.

Come the night itself, however, the fates were not smiling on him and he went unselected. He now had the much harder task of finding an NBA with the unwanted label of 'Undrafted' hanging over his head.

He was able to secure a training camp contract with the Raptors, later having to compete with five other players for the team’s final roster spot, which he eventually won. It did not take long for VanVleet to show the team's faith in him would be worth it: in one of his first games for Toronto, a pre-season exhibition game against Argentinian team San Lorenzo, he finished as the team’s top scorer with 31 points.

Despite that, he largely played garbage time for the Raptors in his rookie season and saw more action with their G League affiliate, the Raptors 905, where he was regularly assigned. There he showed, no matter where he was playing, he had a deep desire to succeed, the competitive instinct of the sport's elite and undeniable skills. VanVleet channeled all of those into helping Raptors 905 to become G League champions in 2017.

From there his playing time with the Raptors increased, as did his scoring numbers, and in 2018-19 he became a starting guard for the team - the season when they brought the NBA championship home to Canada. He himself coming close in the vote for Finals MVP, which ultimately went to Kawhi Leonard.

Arriving in the NBA with little to no fan fare, VanVleet has had to put in the hard graft to reach the point he is at now. Whereas the star players for other teams arrived with the expectation to succeed, he has had to earn his reputation and rely on building and levelling up his skills, determination and worth ethic each time to become the leader of the Raptors' offence.

Historically, when a Toronto player has had a season like VanVleet's, the fanbase have mobilized to have their efforts recognised when it comes to the All-Star Game, such as in 2015 when a movement gathered for Canadian fans to vote for Kyle Lowry. At the time he was having a career-defining turn with the Raptors, one which began the whole franchise turn-around and eventually led them to becoming champions. With the backing of the Canadian prime minister, the drive was successful and Lowry started for the East in that year's All-Star game.

Despite there being a great case for VanVleet to make the All-Star team in 2021, he was left out of the game. This season the case is strong once more: VanVleet is both the leader in scoring and assists for Toronto, who do not have the spotlight on them due to ongoing struggles but when they do come away with a win, VanVleet has been an instrumental part of that.

Becoming the team's starting point guard is not down to Lowry's departure from the team, but that VanVleet has earned that right by being one of their most productive players. Including so far doing what few players have: scoring in double-digits in every game so far in the season. If the best players from other struggling teams can be All-Star contenders, there is room on the Eastern Conference squad for Fred VanVleet.

Voting for the NBA All-Star Game is still open and will be until January 22nd. Anyone wanting to see the Raptors represented this year, or wants to see a player flourishing into a star after having to work harder than the average All-Star nominee finally get recognition for his efforts, the choice should be obvious.

Updated from the original article on January 2nd 2022.

Picture Credit: Vaughn Ridley