Is Fred VanVleet back?

[PseudoFan]

He’s not a poor defender, at all. He’s actually a really good defender, smh

Easily our best on ball pg defender. This is why he gets so many minutes

He's a good defender when he's up against the likes of Mike Conley and Stephen Curry.

Against athletic beasts and big guards like Russell Westbrook/Jrue Holiday/Klay Thompson, he is toast.

Well to be fair, no one can really guard Westbrook, and Jrue Holiday is a tough match up for any guard. Freddy did a pretty good job on Oladipo in that fourth and he's very similar to Klay.

[lebron stopper]

Easily our best on ball pg defender. This is why he gets so many minutes

He's a good defender when he's up against the likes of Mike Conley and Stephen Curry.

Against athletic beasts and big guards like Russell Westbrook/Jrue Holiday/Klay Thompson, he is toast.

Well to be fair, no one can really guard Westbrook, and Jrue Holiday is a tough match up for any guard. Freddy did a pretty good job on Oladipo in that fourth and he's very similar to Klay.

Russell Westbrook/Jrue Holiday/Klay Thompson love to use their superior size and strength to bully guys like VanVleet on drives and post-ups. VanVleet is like the last guy you want to put on them, since they're highly unfavourable matchups for him (regardless of whether they're unguardable or not). Victor Oladipo is crazy quick but he's not super-strong like those guys are (and he isn't similar to Klay Thompson at all).

[PseudoFan]

I just mean similar in size.

You can live with a Freddy post-up, because where he lacks in size, he greatly makes up for in other areas. He obviously has mismatches due to his size, but he is more than adequate defensively and can stand his own ground in most situations. you'd rather have him out there than not.

[Kabookalu]

Kabookalu has put together examples of Fred’s defense. I don’t know how to find them. Wondering if he still has them?

.

There was a giant 14 min highlight montage displaying Fred's defense, but unfortunately I don't see it anymore.

This here breaks it down decently starting at the 5 min mark:

Watch on YouTube

[OAKLEY_2]

He’s not a poor defender, at all. He’s actually a really good defender, smh

Easily our best on ball pg defender. This is why he gets so many minutes

He's a good defender when he's up against the likes of Mike Conley and Stephen Curry.

Against athletic beasts and big guards like Russell Westbrook/Jrue Holiday/Klay Thompson, he is toast.

Russell Westbrook is almost impossible to defend as hes just that good. Is Klay really an athletic beast?

[WaltFrazier]

Fred's pullup J and his spot up 3 have looked better lately. Early on he was making terrible decisions on driving into trouble when he is too small to get all the way to the rim. If he keeps shooting well the rest of his game esp.defence is enough to justify minutes. He is not a really good playmaking PG, it would still be nice to have a veteran who is good at that to back up Kyle

[pagal]

poor defender, over-dribbles, takes way too many shots he shouldn't, tries to score layups against guys 2 ft taller than him and gets blocks...basically doesn't play within his limits and costs us games. F**K HIM.

[vaff87]

poor defender, over-dribbles, takes way too many shots he shouldn't, tries to score layups against guys 2 ft taller than him and gets blocks...basically doesn't play within his limits and costs us games. F**K HIM.

You people that keep calling him a “poor defender” have absolutely no clue what you’re talking about.

[pagal]

poor defender, over-dribbles, takes way too many shots he shouldn't, tries to score layups against guys 2 ft taller than him and gets blocks...basically doesn't play within his limits and costs us games. F**K HIM.

You people that keep calling him a “poor defender” have absolutely no clue what you’re talking about.

sure, thanks for enlightening us.

[vaff87]

poor defender, over-dribbles, takes way too many shots he shouldn't, tries to score layups against guys 2 ft taller than him and gets blocks...basically doesn't play within his limits and costs us games. F**K HIM.

You people that keep calling him a “poor defender” have absolutely no clue what you’re talking about.

sure, thanks for enlightening us.

Maybe you should actually pay attention to him on defense next game.

He’s small, and light-skinned, so he must be a poor defender

[pagal]

You people that keep calling him a “poor defender” have absolutely no clue what you’re talking about.

sure, thanks for enlightening us.

Maybe you should actually pay attention to him on defense next game.

He’s small, and light-skinned, so he must be a poor defender

him being small is definitely a factor when 90% of guards can shoot over him...nobody said anything about being light-skinned though but good to know that's what you pay attention to.

all that bs about him guarding Steph, I saw Steph missing open, uncontested 3s which he happened to miss on an off night.

try to come up with anything of merit other than useless nonsense like "pay attention" and eye rolls.

[RonaldArtest]

I think a lot has to do with Lowry being out, and FVV has to run the O beside Kawhi. When Lowry starts, either by team design or him taking it upon himself, Fred seems to try and be that 6th man spark plug offensive weapon. As a starter beside other playmakers like Kawhi and Siakam, FVV stops trying to do too much or overthink situations, he just goes out and plays hard nosed ball. Taking the shots he should take, and getting the ball in the hands of the primary scorers early instead of constantly pound and survey. His play with Kyle out is refreshing to see but I'm hoping he finds a nice groove off the bench with Lowry returning. He needs to be the catalyst in that unit, not necessarily scoring the ball, but continuing with the ball movement and finding his teammates in optimum situations to score.

[Kabookalu]

sure, thanks for enlightening us.

Maybe you should actually pay attention to him on defense next game.

He’s small, and light-skinned, so he must be a poor defender

him being small is definitely a factor when 90% of guards can shoot over him...nobody said anything about being light-skinned though but good to know that's what you pay attention to.

all that bs about him guarding Steph, I saw Steph missing open, uncontested 3s which he happened to miss on an off night.

try to come up with anything of merit other than useless nonsense like "pay attention" and eye rolls.

Kevin Durant is 6'11, one of the best scorers and shooters of all time, and the best player I've ever seen defending him is 6'4 Tony Allen. I remember 7ft Bosh getting shutdown by 6'7 Jared Dudley. If a shorter guy can pester you enough and bother you into rushing shots and exerting more energy than you're used to, doesn't matter how much taller you are. Fred hounding Curry all night long absolutely played a factor in his off night.

[vaff87]

sure, thanks for enlightening us.

Maybe you should actually pay attention to him on defense next game.

He’s small, and light-skinned, so he must be a poor defender

him being small is definitely a factor when 90% of guards can shoot over him...nobody said anything about being light-skinned though but good to know that's what you pay attention to.

all that bs about him guarding Steph, I saw Steph missing open, uncontested 3s which he happened to miss on an off night.

try to come up with anything of merit other than useless nonsense like "pay attention" and eye rolls.

Spoiler:

Fred Van Vleet is an elite NBA defender, damn it

Several examples in the Pacers game:

Watch on YouTube

He even received an all-NBA defense vote last year:

https://www.sportsnet.ca/basketball/nba/raptors-kyle-lowry-fred-vanvleet-receive-nba-defence-team-votes/


‘Can’t put a price tag’ on Fred VanVleet’s defense

Read on Twitter

From last year

On defense, VanVleet's timing in help is impeccable, and few players on the roster dig into post-ups like he does. He's also high-effort at all times, and those things in concert help make up for the size disadvantage he's at most nights. The Raptors have their best defensive rating with VanVleet on the floor, he's a part of three of their four best defensive fivesomes and five of their six best defensive threesomes, and only Aron Baynes has been on the floor for fewer points per-100 possessions among qualified players.

https://sports.vice.com/en_ca/article/qvz4d7/fred-vanvleet-has-developed-into-a-legit-piece-for-toronto

Watch on YouTube

Read on Twitter

[jeffya2]

Maybe you should actually pay attention to him on defense next game.

He’s small, and light-skinned, so he must be a poor defender

him being small is definitely a factor when 90% of guards can shoot over him...nobody said anything about being light-skinned though but good to know that's what you pay attention to.

all that bs about him guarding Steph, I saw Steph missing open, uncontested 3s which he happened to miss on an off night.

try to come up with anything of merit other than useless nonsense like "pay attention" and eye rolls.

Kevin Durant is 6'11, one of the best scorers and shooters of all time, and the best player I've ever seen defending him is 6'4 Tony Allen. I remember 7ft Bosh getting shutdown by 6'7 Jared Dudley. If a shorter guy can pester you enough and bother you into rushing shots and exerting more energy than you're used to, doesn't matter how much taller you are. Fred hounding Curry all night long absolutely played a factor in his off night.

+1

[LoveMyRaps]

He remains very inconsistent and is a poor defender. He is fine his role but his usage has been suspect this year at best.

loooooooooool

[Raps in 4]

poor defender, over-dribbles, takes way too many shots he shouldn't, tries to score layups against guys 2 ft taller than him and gets blocks...basically doesn't play within his limits and costs us games. F**K HIM.

You people that keep calling him a “poor defender” have absolutely no clue what you’re talking about.

People also keep citing things that haven't happened for a while. Norm critics are the same, despite him being solid all year. You still get the rehashed "he's trash, release him" comments from half this board. It's as if they haven't watched a game since May.

[Raps in 4]

I think it's also important to note that FVV had a slow start last season too and he got better as the year went on.

First 30 games in 17/18:
6.2 PPG (.394/.338/.857) - 7 games of 10+ PTS
3.0 AST

Last 46 games in 17/18:
10.2 PPG (.441/.444/.822) - 28 games of 10+ PTS
3.4 AST

Good post. I remember him being trash last year too and questioning constantly why Casey kept overplaying him. Then he turned into a star. I guess this year is the same story.

Maybe he comes into every season out of shape?

[PD28]

Maybe you should actually pay attention to him on defense next game.

He’s small, and light-skinned, so he must be a poor defender

him being small is definitely a factor when 90% of guards can shoot over him...nobody said anything about being light-skinned though but good to know that's what you pay attention to.

all that bs about him guarding Steph, I saw Steph missing open, uncontested 3s which he happened to miss on an off night.

try to come up with anything of merit other than useless nonsense like "pay attention" and eye rolls.

Spoiler:

Fred Van Vleet is an elite NBA defender, damn it

Several examples in the Pacers game:

Watch on YouTube

He even received an all-NBA defense vote last year:

https://www.sportsnet.ca/basketball/nba/raptors-kyle-lowry-fred-vanvleet-receive-nba-defence-team-votes/


‘Can’t put a price tag’ on Fred VanVleet’s defense

Read on Twitter

From last year

On defense, VanVleet's timing in help is impeccable, and few players on the roster dig into post-ups like he does. He's also high-effort at all times, and those things in concert help make up for the size disadvantage he's at most nights. The Raptors have their best defensive rating with VanVleet on the floor, he's a part of three of their four best defensive fivesomes and five of their six best defensive threesomes, and only Aron Baynes has been on the floor for fewer points per-100 possessions among qualified players.

https://sports.vice.com/en_ca/article/qvz4d7/fred-vanvleet-has-developed-into-a-legit-piece-for-toronto

Watch on YouTube

Read on Twitter

Anyone who doesn't ball watch as a viewer will notice FVV's impact on defense. Some rotations he's made literally caused turnovers because the option wasn't available to the passer. He's a CP-lite pesky defender and I hope he continues to deliver on that end.

[Raps in 4]

Maybe you should actually pay attention to him on defense next game.

He’s small, and light-skinned, so he must be a poor defender

him being small is definitely a factor when 90% of guards can shoot over him...nobody said anything about being light-skinned though but good to know that's what you pay attention to.

all that bs about him guarding Steph, I saw Steph missing open, uncontested 3s which he happened to miss on an off night.

try to come up with anything of merit other than useless nonsense like "pay attention" and eye rolls.

Spoiler:

Fred Van Vleet is an elite NBA defender, damn it

Several examples in the Pacers game:

Watch on YouTube

He even received an all-NBA defense vote last year:

https://www.sportsnet.ca/basketball/nba/raptors-kyle-lowry-fred-vanvleet-receive-nba-defence-team-votes/


‘Can’t put a price tag’ on Fred VanVleet’s defense

Read on Twitter

From last year

On defense, VanVleet's timing in help is impeccable, and few players on the roster dig into post-ups like he does. He's also high-effort at all times, and those things in concert help make up for the size disadvantage he's at most nights. The Raptors have their best defensive rating with VanVleet on the floor, he's a part of three of their four best defensive fivesomes and five of their six best defensive threesomes, and only Aron Baynes has been on the floor for fewer points per-100 possessions among qualified players.

https://sports.vice.com/en_ca/article/qvz4d7/fred-vanvleet-has-developed-into-a-legit-piece-for-toronto

Watch on YouTube

Read on Twitter

He was also +0.80 DRPM last year. His defence is rock solid, despite his height.