Is Fred VanVleet ready to be a Starter at Point Guard on a Contender?

[PoundTown]

He hasn't shown me that he's elite at any skill other than chasing around small guards like Curry on defense. He's really good at a lot of things, but I'm not sure if he can be the starting PG on a contender. He could be the starter on a lot of teams though.

Looks like he could make the leap and be an elite shooter. He could be a starter in the way a Pat Beverly is a starter. No one would ever make Pat a main ball handler on their team and main innitiator of offense, but you put him beside a James Harden or a couple all stars, it works. Even last year with the Clippers, he was always on the floor with either Lou or SGA. Freddy could possibly start if say Terrence Davis became a solid on ball, high volume creator along with Pascal as a point forward. A lot of "if's", just saying it is not completely out of the realm of possibility. His distributing and ability to run an offense (very low turnovers and 5 assists in 28 minutes) is not nearly as bad as some make it seem, it's when he doesn't have many complimentary players around him and the defense can focus in on him that his lack of size and athleticism hurts the most.

[sidsid]

Fred can be the 5th starter (he's a combo guard, not a pg) on a team if the following conditions are met:

1. The team has a main playmaker with size at another position to take the bulk of the responsibilities away from him.
2. Avoid size matchups in the playoffs that make him unplayable.

You can't really control #2, so using this season as an example:

Signing with the Sixers fits the condition and would eliminate one team that can and will make him unplayable. And they have Brown that would know when to bench him in those situations.

The other option is the Lakers. Another team who's "best 5" in a championship series could leave him on the bench.

Unfortunately for Fred those are two teams that have a high likelihood of going deep into the playoffs for the next couple of years so I wouldn't consider signing FVV as a savvy move as your first option to plug a starter role for most teams.

[gregdj]

FVV SHOULD be starting on the raps BUT... we dont have a solid pg off the bench and he is needed there. Id like to see him go for 6th man of the year. Split his minutes beside lowry/when lowry comes off and 2nd unit. He definitely deserves the minutes, he proved his worth last year especially during the playoffs and even bled for us. Plus FVV and ibaka on the 2nd lineup is a fresh boost of ball handling, scoring and defense. Let the new guys fight and earn their spot in the 2nd lineup. IMO were pretty solid overall, im excited to see powell start as well, it just works out that FVV is 6th man.

[Harcore Fenton Mun]

He's a starter on probably half the teams in the league.

Maybe more, his shot looks wet this year.

The question isn't if he can start, it's if he can hold up at that size.

[azorian]

No. Fvv isn't a PG.

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[will]

Fredderick Edmund VanVleet Sr.

Please say the Sr.

[Kingsway_fan]

Trade lowry at deadline ... start fred after that.

[LBJKB24MJ23]

Obvious answer is no.

He can be a starter on a team - just not a contender unless the team has 4 all stars at the other four starting positions. FVV has no upside, no size, no speed. Consistency to make open shots - he plays like a vet but if you’re betting the lot on FVV, find yourself on the streets.

[PoundTown]

I hope Fred can accept his role as a 6th man who finishes 75 percent of games for us, because he is not an ideal lead guard and really holds down the bench unit. There are some matchups that are really tough for him as well. I understand the want for him to start as he is a big time overachiever, and didn't get to where he is without setting high goals for himself. I keep getting hyped over Terrence Davis and keep thinking if Terrence can work out as a scoring force - say a 2nd or 3rd option, that him and Freddy could possibly work together, but still think ideally Fred is your third guard and you can go small with him in a lot of match ups, but not all. Not a guy you build around, but a guy you love to have providing he fits with the rest of the roster, and generally should be able to.

[RaptorsNorth]

Clearly not. Fred is a SG in A PG's body. He can't really create for others and thats a big part when running an offence. He's a shot maker and guy that will take the ball to basket, but he doesn't really help the players around get easy baskets. Good PG's are good a dropping dimes. How do you think rondo is still in the league when he can hardly shoot, how to you think Rubio made it this far ? He's still not showing us he can run an offence. To be honest Davis already looks like he's better than him at running an offence.

[Mr_NC]

Hope some team desperate for a PG overpays for this guy

[I_Like_Dirt]

VanVleet absolutely could be a starting PG on a contender. It's important not to confuse that with star, though. There are differences, to be sure, but in a lot of ways, Fred is a modern day Derek Fisher. Fisher was the starting PG on a multiple championship team. He just needed stars around him. How much that's worth is up for debate but yes, Fred can start in the right situation.