‘Steph and Klay’: Raptors’ Point Guard Compares Fred VanVleet to Warriors’ Splash Brothers

Published 02/02/2021, 11:36 PM EST

The Toronto Raptors are back in the game after consecutive wins against the Orlando Magic. Their recent 123-108 victory became a reason for an even bigger celebration because of Fred VanVleet’s extraordinary performance.

When Vince Carter dropped those 51 points against the Suns in Feb 2000, who’d have thought that there were many such moments to come. But that night came with Fred’s colossal play against an ailing Magic who had no defense good enough for him.

Fred VanVleet made his Raptors teammates super proud

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Interestingly, Steady Freddy scored 54 points breaking DeRozan’s record, whereas the other four members of the starting five combined for a total of 53 points. One would think that Fred was better than everyone while the reality was that it was his team that ensured he had possession and made use of his astonishing form.

In the post-game interview, Kyle Lowry accepted that he forced passes to Fred VanVleet and expressed, “He legit was like, ‘Yo y’all, keep playing.”

"He legit was like, 'Yo y'all, keep playing," Lowry said of VanVleet. "It wasn't forced to him." Lowry does admit he forced the last few passes to him.
"Y'all know how I feel about him. That's my little brother. I'm proud of him."
— (((Eric Koreen))) (@ekoreen) February 3, 2021

The star point guard further added, “It was only 23 shots. I think Steph and Klay have records like that.”

"It would have been even better if we had fans — a huge crazy, sold-out arena, it would have been better," Lowry says.
"It was only 23 shots. I think Steph and Klay have records like that." Lowry says VanVleet has already spoken to DeMar DeRozan.
— (((Eric Koreen))) (@ekoreen) February 3, 2021

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It was an unbelievable night for VanVleet, who dominated from the three-point range. He dropped 11 threes and also converted each of his nine FTs. That gave him a 17/23 accuracy.

Can these wins become the turnaround for the Canadian squad?

The Raptors are on a downfall when compared to their 2018-19 championship run. They lost a few key players to trade and now are trailing early in the season. However, they have a few reasons to stay positive. The 26-YO Fred is enjoying his career’s best season so far, averaging close to 20 ppg, and is also doing amazing defensively.

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Kyle Lowry is also picking rhythm and becoming better at his rebounding this season. The Raptors still have a legitimate chance to make a comeback. They are sitting at #9 in the rankings and that’s not too bad given the time left. However, up next is their biggest test against the Brooklyn Nets. Do you think Fred can repeat the performance again?

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Written by:

Sourabh Singh is an NBA sports analyst for EssentiallySports, who has been working with the site since May 2020. Prior to this, he functioned as Managing Editor at WittyFeed, followed by a stint at Decathlon. The Sports Management graduate leads an active lifestyle, veering to the mountains for off-trail adventures.

‘Steph and Klay’: Raptors’ Point Guard Compares Fred VanVleet to Warriors’ Splash Brothers

Fred VanVleet made his Raptors teammates super proud

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Can these wins become the turnaround for the Canadian squad?