ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO/WQRF)–All athletes go through slumps from time to time, even the great ones. Right now Fred VanVleet is in one of the worst shooting slumps of his NBA career.
Since November 11th the Rockford native has made only 29 percent of his shots from the field for the Toronto Raptors. Monday night in a loss to the Celtics, VanVleet made only 3 of 14 shots from the field. For the season he’s made 35.7 percent of his shots from the field ranking him 134th in the NBA. That’s his lowest percentage since his rookie season of 2016-17 when he made 35.1 percent of his shots.
VanVleet continues to contribute with his defense and his passing. He’s dishing out 6.4 assists per game which ranks 17th in the NBA, but the Raptors need his shooting touch to return if they’re going to be more than a .500 team which they currently are with a 12-12 record.
Tuesday VanVleet told reporters in Toronto that he’s getting good looks at the basket, and it’s simply a matter of time before his shots start falling.
“You know it’s just one of those things, they’re not going right now and I just need a spark to turn it around, and I’m not really concerned about it. Obviously, nobody wants them to go in more than me trust me. You’ve just got to go out there and make them. It’s a fine line between making them and missing them and you know, over the last week I’ve been missing them. I’ll get back to it soon.”
VanVleet’s next chance to find his shooting touch will come Wednesday night when the Raptors play the Lakers.