For the second time in the last three seasons, the Toronto Raptors missed out on the NBA postseason. The Raptors finished the 2022-23 regular season with a mediocre 41-41 record, the ninth-best in the Eastern Conference. Toronto then lost to the tenth-seeded Chicago Bulls — led by DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine — in the play-in tournament by a final score of 109-105.

The Raptors have stagnated over the past few seasons, as the team hasn't made it past the first round of the playoffs since the 2020 Orlando Bubble. But the Raptors' stagnation has little to do with Fred VanVleet, a long-time Raptor who's currently one of the team's best players. The Raptors would be wise to shake up their roster a bit this summer, sure, but they should keep their core players, VanVleet included.

Fred VanVleet will be one of the more sought-after free agents this summer. Opposing teams may throw large offers VanVleet's way in July, but the Raptors shouldn't be afraid to throw a monster offer at him themselves. With all of that said, here are two reasons why the Raptors must re-sign Fred VanVleet in the 2023 NBA offseason:

2 reasons Raptors must re-sign Fred VanVleet in 2023 NBA offseason

1. Three-point shooting

There are two statistics that stand out as accurate barometers of a player's three-point shooting prowess: three-point percentage and three-point attempts. A lot of players either shoot a solid percentage from three on low attempts or shoot a low percentage on a high number of attempts. But the most valuable three-point shooters check both boxes, and VanVleet certainly falls in this category.

VanVleet let it fly early and often from behind the three-point arc with the Raptors in the 2022-23 season. His 8.8 three-point attempts per contest ranked first on the team by a wide margin and sixth in the entire NBA. Only Jayson Tatum, Anfernee Simons, Donovan Mitchell, Klay Thompson, and Damian Lillard took more threes per game this year.

VanVleet's three-point percentage was rock-solid, too, even if he did have a down-year efficiency-wise. His 34.4% three-point percentage was only slightly below the league average. Expect his three-point percentage to improve next season, as he shot 37.7% from three on high volume in the 2021-22 campaign.

2. Playmaking

Credit to VanVleet's work ethic, he has improved as a playmaker every year he's been in the league and is fresh off by far his best facilitating season as a pro. VanVleet dished out a career-high 7.2 dimes per contest compared to just 2.0 turnovers. This equates to an impressive 3.6 assist-to-turnover ratio, the 11th-best in the entire league this year. VanVleet made plays for his teammates with great frequency, all while keeping his mistakes to a minimum.

VanVleet's effectiveness as both a three-point shooter and playmaker means too much to the Raptors for them to lose him for nothing in free agency. The Raptors are already a roster that's not exactly filled to the brim with players who can reliably create their own shots. So here's to hoping that the Raptors re-sign VanVleet this summer and keep him on their roster for the long haul.