Fred VanVleet Provides Injury Update, OG Anunoby Looks 'Ready'

Fred VanVleet isn't going to be 100% when the playoffs roll around this weekend.
Even with all the time off he's had ahead of Saturday's Game 1 against the Philadelphia 76ers, his right knee injury "isn't going anywhere," he said following Toronto Raptors practice Thursday morning.
"I’ve had a pretty good week of work. I’m getting ready for this series," VanVleet added. "It could go really good or really bad. I’m optimistic about it. I feel good. Continue to do all my work and my rehab.
It's definitely come a long way since the last time VanVleet took the court on April 5 against the Atlanta Hawks. At the time, he was determined to help the Raptors avoid the play-in tournament. Once that was accomplished, he shut things down, taking the final three games off to rest up ahead of the postseason.
Anunoby Update
Raptors coach Nick Nurse suggested that OG Anunoby might not be ready to go for Game 1, but that's certainly not the sense Chris Boucher had following Thursday's practice.
"Remember when OG didn’t play for two weeks he came back and look like himself," Boucher asked during his media availability. "That's how he is. Like I said, I think he's gonna be ready for the playoffs. And I didn't see anything that made me feel like he wasn't ready."
If Anunoby and VanVleet are close to full health when things tip off Saturday, the Raptors will certainly have a good chance of pulling off the upset for a rare Game 1 win.
Further Reading
Raptors are prepared for Nick Nurse's craziest defensive schemes: 'He's Nicky Nurse, baby'
Raptors need to avoid 'slugfest' by dictating tempo to 76ers
Why Scottie Barnes' 3-point shooting will be the X-factor for Toronto's offense

Aaron Rose is a Toronto-based reporter covering the Toronto Raptors since 2020. Previously, Aaron worked for the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram.
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