Fred VanVleet’s Pull Up Shooting Ability is Vital For The Toronto Raptors Playoff Run

Every Toronto Raptors fan is well aware of the skepticism of the team’s halfcourt offensive ability. The playoffs is where easy shots disappear, and a certain type of shot is essential to win games. The pull up jumper. I don’t think people understand the value of that skill, so let’s talk about the top 10 point guards in the league and see if they have it.

All of these point guards are great pull up shooters with the exception of Westbrook, and it has clearly hurt him in countless playoff series. Whether Ben Simmons is truly able to be a point guard is still a debate that hasn’t been figured out yet, and the reason is because of the lack of jumpshot.

We can do the same thing for the top 10-15 point guards:

Noticed how I put four guards there instead of five? It’s because we’re going to talk about Fred VanVleet, who belongs in that group. Fred VanVleet shot 37% (50-134) on pull up jumpers this year, and 38% (35-93) on pull up threes. The clear trend in this table is that all point guard sized players need to be good-to-great pull up shooters to be top 10 in their position. If the Raptors choose to sign the 5’11 point guard to a long term deal, then we need to have an idea of how he can climb the rankings.

VanVleet is one of the better shooting point guards in the league, he’s never shot below 38% from three in his career, and has drastically increased his volume from that area each season. It’s why he’s able to play so well off Kyle Lowry as an off ball guard, and has had regular season success as the initiator as well. The shot versatility and creation that he’s shown time and time again during the year are more than just flashes, it’s a legitimate building block that is worth developing further.

Let’s start with the transition pull up threes. Point guards like Kyrie Irving, Damian Lillard and Kyle Lowry love using this to put pressure on the defense. When the opposing team is running back, they’re not usually expecting a quick stop and pull up three, so when that shot goes in, the defense will know to guard that next time, and the effect of this is that the player will get enough attention for other teammates to benefit from that. It’s also a soul crushing type of shot as well and could be a momentum swinger. VanVleet doesn’t shoot many of these, but he has the confidence to take these attempts, so I’d like to see him push the pace and let it fly more.

The main reason for guards needing a pullup jumper is to be able to punish the drop in the pick and roll. Even bigs who have quicker feet play in this coverage, it basically has the bigs moving backwards so they’re inviting the midrange and drives to the basket. To battle this, the pick and roll operator must find a way to get the pull up three off since the guard will be going over the screen. VanVleet has a high level of patience in the pick and roll and shows flashes of being able to set up screens well to get an open look from three.

When VanVleet is hot, he has no problems isolating his man, whether it is a switch or primary defender. His handle and deceptiveness are really underrated and he doesn’t need much space to get his shot off, but he’s a capable space creator as well. To make things simple, tough shotmaking plus space creation equals a walking bucket.

VanVleet isn’t the greatest playmaker, and he’s been a weak finisher in his career (although he has improved in the bubble) so I think him continuing to take strides and becoming a better and more bold pull-up shooter is key for his development. It’d like to see him increase the volume on these types of shots, he’s good enough as a shooter but needs to be a quicker decision maker. His patience does benefit him sometimes but he can’t always rely on it. NBA basketball is fast-paced, holes in the defense are created and covered in an instant. So he’s going to have to be more decisive in whether he wants to shoot or look for the pass, especially in the pick and roll. His pull up shooting could really help the team in the playoff run though, we’ve seen how lethal he could be in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. When he gets going, it’s not many people that could stop him.

Fred VanVleet’s Pull Up Shooting Ability is Vital For The Toronto Raptors Playoff Run originated on Raptors Republic.