25-under-25: The best of the rest

27. Fred VanVleet, Toronto Raptors

Let’s pull back the curtain a bit.

When our editor here at the Step Back pitched 25-under-25 this year, the lens through which we were supposed to view players was as follows: put them in order based on the value we expect the player to provide next year, with the caveat that “value” might also mean things like star factor, fan excitement, etc.

Does anyone think Fred Van Vleet is the 27th most exciting player in the league under the age of 25? Doubtful. Does he have the 27th highest ceiling? Hell, he might not have the 72nd highest ceiling.

But as the Kawhi Leonard trade showed, the Toronto Raptors are all in on next season, and if they’re going to come close to achieving their goals, Fred VanVleet is going to be a huge part of that.

Put aside the playoff series versus Cleveland. Thanks to a shoulder injury suffered in the last game of the regular season, he clearly wasn’t himself. Before that though, the undrafted guard out of Wichita State was part of a well-chronicled bench mob that bludgeoned teams to the tune of a 17.1 net rating over 340 minutes. That’s not all; in the 101 minutes he played with the Raptors four other consistent starters, that number rose to 24.9.

He’s back in Toronto on a two-year, $18 million deal that should make him one of the best bargains in the league. If the Raptors do end up playing into June, his return to full health will be a huge reason why.