Fredderick Edmund VanVleet Sr. is an american professional basketball player for the Toronto Raptors. VanVleet plays the position of the point guard in the NBA and has recently come to be noticed in the NBA over the past few years. The guard from Wichita State University went undrafted in the 2016 NBA draft, causing him to sign with the Raptors. Initially, playing with the Raptors’ G-League affiliate, VanVleet rose up the ranks and now plays as a starter on the Toronto Raptors’ team. He was invaluable in the NBA finals of 2019 where the Raptors led by Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry secured a championship win agains the Golden State Warriors. VanVleet has been named to the All-Star game once which was in the year 2022. VanVleet holds the single game point record not just in franchise history but also in the history of any undrafted NBA player.
Fred VanVleet Injury History
Fred VanVleet has been a fairly healthy player dealing with minor injuries that did not cause him to miss too many games at any one point of time. Like all NBA players, VanVleet is bound to have suffered a few sprains, twists and multiple instances of swelling and soreness.
VanVleet has had 3 notable or significant injuries but was not neccessarily hindered by these injuries for a long duration.
Toe Sprain
In the 2018 NBA playoffs, VanVleet suffered a sprained toe. However, he continued to play through the pain. At this point, VanVleet was not a full fledged starter for the Raptors considering that Kyle Lowry was still with the team at that point of time.
Thumb Injury During Finals
VanVleet suffered a left thumb injury during the finals series against the Golden State Warriors. This was at a time when VanVleet was not yet a full time starter for the Toronto Raptors. The injury was caused due to VanVleet’s attempt to contest a shot by a Golden State Warriors player. The injury caused him to get stitches and wear a splint. VanVleet returned to the finals series at a stage where it mattered the most and played an integral role in making the Raptors’ postseason run a success.
Hip Flexor
In the 2021 season, VanVleet dealt with a relatively serious hip flexor injury which caused him to miss 6 games. At this point of time, VanVleet was a full fledged starter for the Toronto Raptors. This was a season where VanVleet started to create buzz around himself, setting a franchise record for most number of made thress in the first half. VanVleet was also creating a streak for himself for scoring at least one three pointer in a game. Before his injury, this number stood at 76 games. However, the streak was broken in the first game after he returned from his injury.
FAQs
A. Fred VanVleet was an integral part of the Raptors winning the 2019 NBA championship. Although he did not win the Finals MVP award, VanVleet was a runner up to the winner, Kawhi Leonard.
A. VanVleet broke the single game franchise record for assists and points after having dished out 20 assists in one game. The point guard’s 20-20 game was only the 4th in Raptors history and the only one combining points and assists. All other 20-20 games were a combination of points and rebounds.
A. Fred VanVleet ripped his shirt off after having suffered a hip injury during the game. This act of ripping off his jersey was borne out of frustration of having suffered the injury and not being able to to play in the game.
