Fred VanVleet did it all but dunk on Sunday, racking up his fourth double-double of the season while leading the Toronto Raptors to a convincing 130-110 win over the Utah Jazz on Sunday, posting 21 points and 11 assists in the Raptors' seventh straight win.
VanVleet gave a pretty hilarious reason for not dunking:
“Only thing I haven't done yet is dunk,” VanVleet told reporters after the game, according to Josh Lewenberg of TSN. “I dunk in the summer every once in a while. It's gotta be a like a certain amount of right degrees outside and the gym's gotta have the right humidity. I don't know if you'll see it from me this year. Don't hold your breath.”
VanVleet was basically admitting he can dunk on a good day by listing the set of right conditions it will take for him to slam one home.
Kyle Lowry, a fellow member of the 6-foot club, dunked during the 2015 All-Star Game, but only after going unchecked with a red carpet lane to the rim. Lowry snuck past an uncaring James Harden and pogo-sticked his way to the rim, flushing one down against an unsuspecting sea of 7-footers in Dirk Nowitzki and Marc Gasol:
https://youtu.be/nZQY0N_dJN0
Perhaps it will take similar circumstances for VanVleet to hammer his first career dunk, but the guard feels he has nothing else left to prove after crowning himself a champion last season and earning a starting spot in this campaign:
“There's always room for improvement for me, I'm never satisfied, but I feel like I've been playing well,” he said. “Honestly, those days are kinda behind me – I don't really have anything left to prove. I've shown it by now.”
Raptors fans wouldn't be mad about a slam dunk for the highlight reel, but until then, they have plenty to be happy about with VanVleet's surprisingly strong numbers.
Follow Us
Subscribe