Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet played a key role in the team's historic championship run this season, providing quality minutes off the bench and hitting big shot after big shot in the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors.
However, now that he's already a champion and has earned his first ring, VanVleet feels the need to win more.
VanVleet "It's hard to be content. What do we do next? I guess just party, enjoy it for a little bit. At some point we'll get back to work and try to do it again. A weird feeling for someone like me who is always trying to look ahead … reaching so high trying to achieve so much
— Ryan Wolstat (@WolstatSun) June 16, 2019
VanVleet has come a long way in terms of his NBA career. From going undrafted back in 2016, he slowly but surely earned his minutes with the Raptors. He has seen the team's ups and downs over the past couple of years, but he stayed focused on improving his game.
This season, VanVleet averaged 11.0 points, 4.8 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game. However, his best moments didn't come until the playoffs, where he started to make a name for himself as a reliable backup to Kyle Lowry. In the Finals, Fred even took his game to the next level, averaging 14 points while shooting an impressive 40 percent from behind the arc.
He's made it clear that his time to shine has already come.
As the Raptors prepare for their title defense next season, the first thing that they will have to face is Kawhi Leonard's free agency decision. Obviously, if the Finals MVP stays, they will become the favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference once again.
But even if Kawhi leaves, there is no doubt that VanVleet will be an integral part of the Raptors' future, alongside Pascal Siakam. Either way, the future is bright for Toronto.
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