FRED ON: VanVleet struts to lead the Raptors beyond Philadelphia

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The Raptors are 13 games in an 82-game season and there are already concerns about Fred VanVleet and how he can possibly sustain the workload he’s carrying.

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VanVleet, one night after he played 36 minutes in a loss in Boston, came out and gave the Raptors 40 more on Thursday and in those 40 minutes, he scored 32 points, including a 3-point that secured the game in the final minute on a good food from OG Anunoby.

He allowed the Raptors to endure the 115-109 victory and brought out a side of VanVleet that he rarely shows the public.

VanVleet, who is normally quite a business to the point of being almost stoic on the court regardless of the excitement going on around him, returned to the bench after his 3-pointer that secured victory in a dance most commonly associated with Sam Cassell. In order not to put too much emphasis on it, we will only say that the shot required a lot of bravery.

VanVleet leads the league in minutes played, averaging 38.5 per night. With rookie Dalano Banton backing him up and Malachi Flynn without a minute all these days as the team’s third baseman, the workload doesn’t look like it’s going to decrease any time soon.

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VanVleet’s minutes were at least a talking point even six games into the season and he knew it would be one in the future.

“We’re not going to talk about my minutes,” VanVleet said then, knowing full well the type of workload he faces this year.

Last night’s loss in Boston clearly played out this one for all the Raptors, VanVleet in particular.

He came out ultra-aggressive and scored 15 points in the first quarter, keeping the Raptors in a game the Sixers threatened to knock out early.

“When we go out and Freddy is getting some buckets and making plays like that, I think that automatically gives us a boost of spirit and confidence,” Raptors head coach Nick Nurse said.

VanVleet remained a factor the rest of the night, as he almost always does, but after that first quarter, the scoring load shifted to a guy who hasn’t had the kinds of nights many expected him to have this year.

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After a career-changing season that earned him a two-year, $ 13.5 million deal, minutes and opportunity have been hard to come by for Montreal-raised big man Chris Boucher.

One of the few positives to emerge from a miserable 2020-21 season played entirely on the road, Boucher has failed to capitalize on that success.

At least he hadn’t done it until Thursday night in Philadelphia, where the Raptors, who needed a spark, turned to the guy who gave them a lot of elevators in a very difficult year a season ago.

“In the end I had to get a little into the rhythm,” explained Boucher. “It is just a way of thinking. I think the team did a good job of staying focused and knowing that it can’t always be this way. I put a lot of work into my game. Its coming back.

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“I came back from an injury,” he said, referring to a finger injury that cost him the entire preseason. “There are a lot of changes, a lot of positions, a lot of guys who can do a lot of different things on this team. I just have to find my role, where to take my shots, and find the confidence that I had last year. I think today was a big step for me to regain that confidence and realize the way I have to play.

Boucher came off the bench for the Raptors and won each of the 24 minutes he got, knocking down six boards, contributing 17 points, a steal and two blocks while picking up VanVleet’s scoring charge and running with it.

Outside of Boucher himself, perhaps, no one was happier about this than his head coach.

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“It’s really good to see him have a good Chris Boucher-style game,” Nurse said. And I don’t read much of it. I think he probably had what he was saying that it wasn’t a very good game on Wednesday night and it didn’t have a lot of energy and all kinds of things, but today is a new day and you just say, ‘man, we’re throwing you there. Let’s go.’ And he just replied and I think it’s a good sign and we have enough evidence or data on him to know what he’s capable of to keep doing it and not say we have to go elsewhere. So it was good to get some. You know, we believe in him and we keep telling him that and he produced tonight. Very good for him. “

With the win, the Raptors snapped a three-game losing streak and improved to 5-1 on the road after that tough loss in Boston on Wednesday.

The team is now heading home and will face former Raptors head coach Dwane Casey and his Detroit Pistons on Saturday night.

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