5 Things I’m Learning from Fred VanVleet and the Undrafted Toronto Raptors 🏀

Posted on by

I feel like I’ve learned a lot of things in my life, and one of them is that there will never be a time when I want to stop learning. Another thing I’ve learned is that learning things can sometimes (maybe even often) come from unexpected people and places.

To that end, I’ve been thinking about what I’m learning from watching the Toronto Raptors play basketball with NBA Champion and Mr. Bet On Yourself, Fred VanVleet as a big part of the team and their success.

Raptors fans know VanVleet as Steady Freddy and an integral part of the team. Fans across the NBA have started to know his name after his clutch performances in the later rounds of the NBA playoffs in 2019, including a Finals performance that earned him an MVP vote. The point guard’s story isn’t the traditional NBA star’s tale though. Which is where the learning comes in.

Fred VanVleet was a four-year player at Wichita State. The team went to the NCAA tournament each of his years at the school. He is the program record holder for Assists, Steals, and Games Played (tie). But still, the 6’1 guard wasn’t high on draft boards in a year when Ben Simmons, Kris Dunn, and Jamal Murray all went in the Top 10. He turned down two cheap contracts to go straight to the minors, and bet on himself when he went to Raptors training camp. The rest is history.

Fred VanVleet Wichita State Shockers

He’s not the only one on this Raptors team that is in that boat. Canadians Chris Boucher and Oshae Brissett went undrafted. Matt Thomas went undrafted, spent two seasons in Europe and then got to the show. Rookie Terence Davis II played four years at Ole Miss and didn’t get picked in the draft. Malcolm Miller didn’t get drafted either. In a league where the draft means so much and being a high pick can get you a lot of chances to hang around and try to prove yourself as a pro, the Raptors are rolling with approximately 30% of their roster made up of undrafted players.

Note: The domestic abuse / assault charges against Terrence Davis II are serious and should be handled seriously.

And I love it.

As of the publishing of this post, the Toronto Raptors have a 25-14 record on the season. They’ve endured injuries to Kyle Lowry, Pascal Siakam, Marc Gasol, Fred VanVleet, and Matt Thomas. Only Terence Davis has played in all 39 games. And still, they’re fourth in the East. They’ll get and (hopefully) stay healthy. And then we’ll see what happens in the playoffs.

For now, I’m enjoying the hell out of cheering for the Champs, and these are 5 Things I’m Learning from Fred VanVleet and the Undrafted Toronto Raptors.

1. Bet On Yourself

Fred VanVleet is Mr. Bet On Yourself, he owns that one, but he’s not alone. Every single one of the undrafted Raptors has had to bet on himself at some point.

Matt Thomas went to Europe for two years and hit shot after shot until the Raptors signed him to a three-year contract. Oshae Brissett left college, declared for the draft, and ended up signing a two-way deal with an organization that has earned a reputation for developing players. And we can’t forget Chris Boucher, the 27-year old lanky Montrealer who went from one game played with the Warriors to a title with the Raptors in 2019.

Each of these guys had to make the decision at some point to put it all on the line with only his own talent and work ethic and chance to prove himself on his side. And all of them are now at the top of their professional world.

The lesson here is that I need to be able to bet on myself too. If there’s a project that I believe in, I’ve gotta go for it. If there’s a job I want, I’ve gotta apply for it. If there’s a chance to do something with Oliver that I think is going to make a great memory or make him a better person or make me a better dad, I’ve gotta take it.

I’ve got to bet on myself.

Fred VanVleet thisdaddylife edit

2. Not Everyone’s Path is the Same

This one piggybacks off of the last one. The undrafted Raptors didn’t follow the same path as Zion Williamson or Lebron James. They didn’t get taken #8 like their teammate Stanley Johnson even. None of them was sure things. None of them was expected to be big impact players. All of them are proving to be important parts of this team.

Matt Thomas and his two years in Spain is just as worthy as Rondae Hollis-Jefferson who went in the first round. Boucher and his two-way deals is just as worthy as OG and his first-round pick. And Fred VanVleet is just as worthy as Kyle Lowry who went #24 to Memphis in 2006.

Each of the undrafted players took their own path. Each of them had to find their own way to an NBA opportunity and roster. And we can all learn from that. It doesn’t matter what type of work you do, there’s more than one way to get to where you want to be. So if you see someone that went in a straight line from college to entry-level to where they’re at now, good for them. And if you dropped out and then took another gig to pay the bills and hustled on the side and got someone’s attention and made it to where you are now, good for you too.

Take your own path, don’t try to get on someone else’s just because it worked for them.

3. Be Prepared

These next two go together and it starts with being prepared. At the start of the 2019-20 season, I wouldn’t have guessed that Oshae Brissett would be earning big praise for his hustle and effort and ability. And I wouldn’t have guessed that Chris Boucher would be running the floor and blocking shots and putting up threes in the numbers that he is.

They probably didn’t either.

But with the injuries to Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, Marc Gasol, Pascal Siakim and even Matt Thomas, those opportunities have presented themselves. And each of these players has put themselves in a position to succeed by being ready. They put in the work to learn the systems. They practice hard to show they are ready to play. They bounce back after bad nights (we see you, Terence).

All three of these undrafted NBA players have prepared themselves for opportunity. They have prepared themselves to play.

And the lesson is that I can be prepared too. I can continue to learn new skills and tools. I can put work in to be better at the things I do. I can pick myself back up after I fail and be ready for tomorrow.

I can be better prepared.

4. Shoot Your Shot

They put in the work to get better. They got in position to be prepared when called upon. And now they’re stepping up to shoot their shot.

Watch the Raptors when Chris Boucher comes into the game, there are a lot of times when it takes very little time before he launches a shot. He doesn’t often hesitate when he’s open. He’s willing to put the ball up in the air. He shoots his shot.

Think about Fred VanVleet, the player who came out of training camp in 2016 as the fourth point guard on the depth chart. The guy who played his way into the rotation and became the certified backup when Delon Wright was traded. The guy who caught fire in the playoffs and hit BIG shots when they mattered most. He shoots his shot.


Matt Thomas’ career is built on shooting his shot. This is a guy that went to Spain and shot so well that he earned the nickname, Mr. 99%. He joined the Raptors to be a shooter. A guy that can come off the bench and be a threat instantly. And when he gets the opportunity, he gets ‘em up!

When I watch these players get out on the floor and play like they know they belong, I can see myself in them. I know that, if I prepare myself, if I find the right spot, if I put in the work, I belong too.

Whether it’s getting better at a bedtime routine with Oliver, taking a gig that’s new to me, or creating a new piece of content that’s different than anything I’ve done before, I can shoot my shot.

Have the confidence in yourself and the work you put in and then, shoot.

5. Becoming A Dad Can Change Everything

This one goes back to Fred VanVleet specifically. The 2019 playoffs started with a 14 point performance for Freddy. And then he went cold. Over the next 14 games, he averaged just over 3 points per game and couldn’t be trusted to be a difference-maker. The last of those 14 games were played on May 19.

On May 20, Fred VanVleet Jr. was born.

On May 21, Fred VanVleet started a run of nine games to end the playoffs that saw him score 20+ twice (including the deciding game 6 of the NBA Finals), hit double digits in points in eight of those nine games, and averaged nearly 15 points a game.

I remember what I was feeling as we got closer and closer to Ollie being born. I can not imagine being counted on to play the best basketball of my career in the weeks leading up to it. Imagine the relief that must have come after little Freddy was born and the worry about his partner and son could go away. Imagine being able to focus and work and shoot your shot and just go out and make them proud.

Life changes when you become a dad. The birth of Fred VanVleet’s second child seems to have been the catalyst for an amazing breakout performance on a world stage. For me, it was the realization that I was going to do everything I could to make sure that my son was loved, safe, and would grow up to know both of those things.

It changed who I was, what my priorities are, how I see things, what I think about issues that I may have never fully grasped in the past.

The birth of his son might have won Fred VanVleet and the Toronto Raptors an NBA Championship.

The birth of my son made me a different man and writer and thinker and creator than I was before.

I’ve been watching the Toronto Raptors since they came into the league. I’ve cheered for Vince Carter and Chris Bosh and DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry and Kawhi Leonard. But there’s something special about watching Fred VanVleet lead a group of undrafted free agents into an NBA Championship defending season as a big part of what the team does and can do this year.

It’s inspiring as a man. It’s exciting as a fan. And I’m happy we get to see it.

Let’s Go Raptors. #WeTheNorth

TDL basketball background with Raptors Logo