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The Toronto Raptors traded guards C.J. Miles and Delon Wright in the deal that landed them Marc Gasol at the trade deadline, so their backcourt was already a bit thin as it was.
Now, it is even thinner.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Raptors backup point guard Fred VanVleet will be sidelined for at least three weeks due to a thumb injury he suffered in the Raptors' win over the New York Knicks on Saturday.
On the season overall, VanVleet is averaging 10.5 points, 4.6 assists and 2.7 rebounds over 26.8 minutes per game while shooting 40.3 percent from the floor, 36.6 percent from 3-point range and 83.3 percent from the free-throw line.
The 24-year-old, who played his collegiate basketball at Wichita State University, went undrafted but signed with the Raptors during the summer of 2016.
He played in 37 games during his rookie campaign, registering just 2.9 points across 7.9 minutes a night.
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Last year, however, VanVleet broke out, appearing in 76 contests and recording 8.6 points, 3.2 assists and 2.4 boards through 20 minutes per game while making 42.6 percent of his field goal attempts, 41.4 percent of his long-distance tries and 83.2 percent of his foul shots.
While he has been a bit disappointing this season, seeing a drop in his efficiency, VanVleet has still been a key contributor off Toronto's bench, so losing the floor general for an extended period of time will hurt.
The Raptors are expected to sign Jeremy Lin after he finalizes a buyout with the Atlanta Hawks, so that will somewhat help mitigate VanVleet's loss.
Toronto will play host to the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night.
