Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet left Saturday's contest against the Atlanta Hawks early after suffering a back injury. He returned to the game later on but did not play well, finishing with three points on 1-for-9 shooting from the field and 1-for-6 from behind the three-point arc in the loss. So when the Raptors travel to New York to play the Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle-led Knicks on Monday afternoon, every Raptors fan will surely want to know: Is Fred VanVleet playing today vs. the Knicks?
Is Raptors' Fred VanVleet playing vs. Knicks
Good news, Raptors fans. VanVleet is available to play in Monday's showdown, per a tweet from ESPN's Tim Bontemps. Additionally, forward Otto Porter Jr. (left foot) will remain out for the Raptors.
VanVleet, 28, is in his seventh year in the NBA, all as a member of the Raptors. He's averaging 17.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks across 35 appearances this season. Overall, VanVleet hasn't shot the ball efficiently from the field or behind the three-point line thus far. He's converting just 37.3% of his total field goal attempts and 32.5% of his threes, both percentages being at or near career lows.
Despite VanVleet's season-long shooting slump, he remains one of the Raptors' best players, and the fact that they'll have him on Monday against a very good New York team is huge. Here's to hoping VanVleet can bounce back from his rough showing on Saturday and put together a scoring performance that reminds fans he was an All-Star just one year ago.
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