John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Fred VanVleet Earns 1st Career Player of the Week Honor
Fred VanVleet's NBA resume just got a little bit longer.
The Toronto Raptors guard has received his first NBA Player of the Week honors for the Eastern Conference's top player this past week. He became the 11th player in Raptors history to earn the honor and the first since Norman Powell did just before the pandemic for his play from March 2 to 8, 2020.
VanVleet's impressive play led the Raptors to a 4-0 record with wins over San Antonio, Milwaukee, Utah, and New Orleans. He averaged 30.3 points (sixth in the NBA), 6.5 assists, 4.8 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 36.5 minutes played over the stretch while shooting 46.7% from the field and 45.3% from three-point range.
His most impressive performance of the week came on Friday against the Jazz when he recorded a 37-point triple-double with 10 assists and 10 rebounds, the first triple-double of his career. That game included a 24-point third quarter in which he scored 17 consecutive points for Toronto and 15 straight points in the game.
He bookended the week with a 33-point outing against the Spurs and a 32-point showing against the Pelicans.
Joel Embiid, Darius Garland, Tyler Herro, Zach LaVine, and Domantas Sabonis all received nominations for the award in the East.
Ja Morant earned the top spot in the West for the week.
Further Reading
Pelicans players heap praise on Fred VanVleet: 'He is going to be an All-Star'
Raptors spoil Jonas Valanciunas' return to Toronto by attacking the Pelicans' big late
Despite all the exceptions, Toronto's offense still has room to 'trim' down inefficient shots
