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Dwane Casey Says Fred VanVleet is a Kyle Lowry Clone: 'He Should be an All-Star'
Dwane Casey's first impression of Fred VanVleet was underwhelming.
He had no idea who the undersized Wichita State point guard was when he came to work out for the Toronto Raptors back in 2016 and there was nothing particularly notable about VanVleet, the Detroit Pistons and former Raptors head coach said Friday.
But that changed in Summer League training camp.
"He won every drill," Casey recalled. "So he has it: character, he's a leader you see him getting on getting all his teammates and they still have their respect. And he's taken over Kyle (Lowry)’s spot."
Five years later, VanVleet has become a Lowry clone, Casey said.
"Same body type, same savvy leadership. I’m proud him, from where he's come from to where he is it's a huge leap," Casey added. "So he's earned every bit of what he's getting and what he's doing and we just hope it's not you know, tonight, but he should be an All-Star."
Even in an ugly blowout loss to the Pistons, VanVleet found a way to make an impact. He bounced back from an awful first three quarters to muster a 24-point, 10-assists double-double courtesy of a nine-point fourth quarter. It wasn't an All-Star worthy performance by any means, but his recent stretch of big-time performances should be enough to keep him right in the conversation as a reserve guard in the Eastern Conference.
Further Reading
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Raptors fall back into concerning pattern as Dwane Casey's Pistons pull off the upset
Justin Champagnie is wowing the Raptors in the most unusual fashion
