I n his sixth professional season, VanVleet’s transition from fiery teenager to sage NBA vet is complete. The finishing touches have been forced upon him. Almost overnight he went from being the eager apprentice earning his way into the inner sanctum to the guy making the rules and calling the shots. He looked around the Raptors locker room and rather than a collection of pros with a decade or more in the league trying to win titles, he saw kids barely out of college, trying to figure things out.
“Yeah, it’s tough man. You gotta try to learn these guys, you know, and in a short amount of time,” VanVleet tells me one wintery morning. He’s come into the Raptors’ OVO Centre practice facility early to get an optional workout in not even 12 hours after playing 44 minutes in a loss to Phoenix where he more than held his own against Paul. “And sometimes you got to try to decide what comes first: Is it the corrections or the relationship? And, you know, I think I’m good for people who want to be great and who can be held accountable and who see the bigger picture. Guys that just care about winning, like, we’re gonna never have an issue. The guys who have to learn how to do that, that’s when it can be a little bumpy. [But] for all of these new guys, I just tell them the truth. First of all, ‘This is what it takes. You might not like it right now, but you’ll see it eventually. This is how you’re going to get better. This is how you’re going to get paid. This is how we’re going to win. And I’m not lying to you.’ I’m going to share what I’ve seen in my experience and what my vets taught me and hope that they can grasp it.”
It’s a message that resonates, both in its content and delivery. “As a young guy who’s undrafted and trying to make a way for himself in this league, and trying to provide for his family, those guys are the stepping stones,” says Raptors rookie Justin Champagnie, who has pushed his way into head coach Nick Nurse’s rotation of late. “Especially Fred being undrafted like myself. Just trying to follow behind the footsteps, just consistently work and wait your turn and, when it comes, be ready to shine.”
How Fred VanVleet claimed his place among the NBA’s elite
Source: Pinas Ko Mahal
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