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With his unique release, VanVleet is primed to shine in three-point contest
On Saturday night Fred VanVleet will get his best opportunity to shine during the NBA’s All-Star weekend.
It will be another opportunity for the Toronto Raptors point guard’s story to be shared. It’s one that never gets old. Undersized and overlooked, he’s just the fifth undrafted player in NBA history to take part in the league’s mid-season showcase, and the first point guard to find his way amongst the league’s elite from such modest beginnings.
But let’s face it, VanVleet’s game – grimy defence and ‘play within the flow’ offence – is not likely to light up the crowd in Cleveland during the game on Sunday. It’s not like he’s not going to dunk on anyone.
So realistically, VanVleet’s moment is most likely to come in the three-point contest.
And that would be yet another chapter in his underdog story. He was a good but not particularly special three-point marksman at Wichita State and shot mainly catch-and-shoot threes in the rhythm of the offence in his early years as a Raptor.
But VanVleet’s All-Star season has been driven by him having one of the greatest shooting seasons — not only by any Raptor — in the history of the sport.
It’s a development that has surprised even those close to him, who believed in VanVleet’s ability to make his way into the NBA as a tough-minded defender who had a knack for scoring when needed, but not as a bomber.
There was the matter of the less-than-ideal side spin he shoots the ball with – more on that in a moment – and that he wasn’t all that prone to launch threes at all.
“For the longest time he was a reluctant shooter,” Joe Danforth, VanVleet’s stepfather and his summer basketball coach throughout middle school and high school. “Even in college. If he missed his first two shots, he wouldn’t shoot the ball again. He didn’t take a lot of threes in high school. He would shoot threes, but he wasn’t jacking them. He wasn’t coming down and just letting them go. He was always a reluctant shooter.
“But when he got with the Raptors and got his confidence? He just said ‘F— it and let it go.”
There is no doubt of that. VanVleet is averaging 9.4 attempts per game from deep this season which is well past Kyle Lowry’s team mark of 8.0 set in 2019-20.
But winning the three-point event is no small task. As stars have steered away from the dunk contest and long-range shooting has become a bigger and bigger factor in the sport, it’s the three-point contest that has the most talent-laden field and attracts the biggest names. Chicago’s Zach LaVine, Atlanta’s Trae Young and Minnesota’s Karl Anthony-Towns will give the event some oomph even with two-time champion Steph Curry opting to sit this one out.
But VanVleet has good reason to step on the floor expecting to win, even if that’s how approaches everything anyway.
The six-year veteran is shooting the ball as well as almost any person ever has – at least in the non-Steph Curry division.
It’s even been obscured somewhat in Toronto, where much of the focus on VanVleet’s All-Star campaign has been his pursuit of franchise icon Kyle Lowry’s single-season record for made threes of 238 set in 2017-18.
But VanVleet should sail past that in a matter of weeks. Last Saturday he became the first Raptor other than Lowry to record at least 200 threes in a season. If he’s healthy and shooting well he’ll make his 212th three at some point on the Raptors’ three-game road trip after the All-Star break and move into second on the franchise list. As long as VanVleet keeps clipping along at four made threes a start, he should set the Raptors record with about 15 games left to play.
Nope, catching Lowry is a foregone conclusion, health permitting.
More significantly, VanVleet is on pace to make 300 triples for the season, which is beginning to shape up (given we’re still relatively early in the NBA’s three-point dominant era) of the basketball equivalent of a 60-home run season; or a 60-goal season in the NHL.
There are only two people alive who have made 300 NBA triples in a single year – Curry, who is on pace to do it for the fifth time and holds the record at 402 set in 2015-16, and James Harden, who did it in 2018-19 with 378 makes – the second-most of all time. Harden also hit 299 threes in 2019-20.
It’s an exclusive club and Curry is the only person to do it while shooting 40 per cent from three.
But VanVleet can join it – he’s at 40.1 per cent so far. He’s averaging four makes a game through 50 games played. With 25 left, VanVleet can get to 300 makes if he keeps his current pace, though he’s got no room for error. More encouraging is that VanVleet has been averaging 4.8 makes a game over his past 25 games. Keep that up and it gives him some margin for effort if he needs to rest some games down the stretch.
Even VanVleet’s success as a shooter is another beacon of hope for those who are trying to do things on their own terms in the face of criticism.
Why? Well, he shoots it funny, at least by a purist’s standards.
He twists his right hand to the left ever so slightly on his release – imagine tightening the lid on a jar of peanut butter – and instead of the ball coming off his hand with the pleasing, tight, reverse spin that coaches love, VanVleet’s high-arching ball corkscrews to the rim with a three-quarters, right-to-left rotation, like a slow-motion screwball.
Shooting guru Dave Hopla noticed it right away when he was working for the Detroit Pistons and VanVleet came to a pre-draft workout in the summer of 2016. But he noticed too that VanVleet shot it the same way, time after time.
That’s what matters most, says Hopla, who was the Raptors shooting coach in 2006-07 among a number stops as one of the basketball’s most sought-after shooting clinicians.
“Unless it’s really broken, I tell people: just make tweaks and adjustments to make it consistent,” says Hopla. “I had Reggie Miller [the Hall-of-Famer who ranks third all-time in made threes]. We didn’t change Reggie because he could really shoot and he was consistent with it … I mean, Reggie used to foul himself: his shooting hand would hit his guide hand, but he did it every single time. Nobody has a perfect shot, what you strive for is a repeatable shot, and Fred has that: His footwork is great, he’s not drifting, he gets planted and his legs are under him every time and he’s got great range. Strong kid.
“Fred’s a great shooter. The numbers don’t lie.”
In a story by Eric Koreen of The Athletic during VanVleet’s second season, the point guard attributed his slightly off-kilter to being unable to lay his shooting hand perfectly flat underneath the ball and compensating by getting his guide involved and flicking the ball with his left thumb.
The Raptors took note of it right away, and Nick Nurse in particular. The fourth year head coach ran shooting clinics earlier in his career and even went so far as to invent and market a ball – “Nurse’s Pill” – and write a book on shooting mechanics. But in the end, the only guidance Nurse provided VanVleet was to work on extending his range after he struggled to get threes off against taller defenders early in the 2018-19 playoffs.
Other than that? If it works, don’t fix it.
“He shoots it that way because it’s kind of what he’s always done,” said Nurse. “It’s kind of the way his body works best. It just functions better that way for him to do it. It does go against the grain of what you would probably say is ideal for keeping the ball on a straight pattern and also to soften it up when it hits the rim, but it’s ingrained — thousands and thousands and thousands of shots he’s done, over and over, continues to work on it. And I think a lot of guys through history have had their own style. And that’s his.”
It’s the results that matter. Pascal Siakam has played with VanVleet for six years and says he’s never noticed anything unusual about his teammates’ shooting, other than that he makes a lot of shots.
“I don’t care how much it spins,” said Siakam. “If it goes in, for me, I’m cool … for me, when he shoots, it feels like it goes in every time.”
The basketball world will be watching in slow-motion on Saturday night as VanVleet brings his unique spin the three-point contest.
Can he win it? Well, VanVleet has proven over and over that betting against him is a losing proposition, and besides, oddsmakers have him and Brooklyn Nets gunner Patty Mills co-favourites.
So make a wager and sit back while VanVleet takes his best shot at a piece of NBA history tonight and the rest of his All-Star season.
Textbook? Nope. Just storybook.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have been the class of the CFL the past three seasons — and don’t appear ready to relinquish that lofty status.
About the only thing Winnipeg has done wrong the last three campaigns is lose last year’s Grey Cup in a close encounter against the underdog Toronto Argonauts — denying the Blue Bombers a rare three-peat.
You get the feeling if football had a best-of-seven series instead of a winner-take-all showdown for the championship, it would have been Winnipeg coming out on top. But full credit to Toronto, which made the plays when it needed to and was a worthy champion.
The stinging setback should only motivate the Blue Bombers, who have given Winnipeggers plenty to cheer about while the Jets have been spinning their wheels in recent years.
Once again, everyone is chasing the Blue Bombers in the West Division this year. The 2023 season kicks off Thursday night with a West showdown between the Calgary Stampeders and visiting B.C. Lions.
Here’s a look at the West teams in order of predicted finish.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Last season: 15-3, first in West Division, lost to Toronto in Grey Cup.
Head coach: Mike O’Shea (82-58 in eight seasons in CFL, all with Winnipeg. Has won two Grey Cups)
Starting quarterback: Zach Collaros (Entering 12th season in CFL, fourth with Winnipeg. CFL’s most outstanding player last two seasons).
The skinny
The Blue Bombers fell just short of becoming the first team to three-peat since Edmonton won five in a row from 1978 to 1982. One bad fourth quarter was no reason to reinvent the wheel. The Blue Bombers signed O’Shea to a contract extension and have most of the key parts back.
Collaros, the clear No. 1 player in the league, is the only opening-day starting quarterback from last year back in the role with the same club this season.
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There was a bit of a hiccup in the pre-season with key free-agent receiver Kenny Lawler placed on the suspended list — Postmedia has reported it’s for immigration issues. The Bombers have said Lawler, who returns to the team after playing in Edmonton last year, will miss three to four weeks.
However, the Bombers are deep at receiver. Dalton Schoen, last year’s rookie of the year, is back and gives Collaros a sure-handed target.
Calgary Stampeders
Last season: 12-6, third in West Division, lost to B.C. in West semifinal.
Head coach: Dave Dickenson (73-29-2 in six seasons in CFL, all with Calgary. Won 2018 Grey Cup).
Starting quarterback: Jake Maier (Entering third season in CFL, all with Calgary. First year as starter).
The skinny
There was a changing of the guard last year when Maier replaced Bo Levi Mitchell midway through the season. The Californian put up solid numbers (league-best 74.7 per-cent completion rate, 14 touchdowns, seven interceptions) before his season ended when the Stamps lost in the West semifinal for the third year in a row.
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The Stamps did lose some key players in free agency — including defensive end Shawn Lemon (cut by B.C.), linebacker Jameer Thurman (Hamilton) and defensive lineman Folarin Orimolade (Toronto).
Offensively, Maier should be helped by league-leading running back Ka’Deem Carey.
B.C. Lions
Last season: 12-6, second in West Division, lost to Winnipeg in divisional final.
Head coach: Rick Campbell (61-77-2 in eight seasons in CFL, two with B.C. Won Grey Cup with Ottawa in 2016)
Starting quarterback: Vernon Adams Jr. (Entering seventh season in CFL, second with B.C.).
The skinny
The Lions orchestrated a huge turnaround last year, going from 5-9 to 12-6 and falling one win short of a Grey Cup appearance. But, of course, they did that with star Canadian quarterback Nathan Rourke, who has taken his significant talents to the NFL after he was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
When Rourke was hurt in mid-season last year, the Lions traded for a veteran in Adams Jr., who had fallen out of favour in Montreal. He kept the Lions afloat before Rourke returned for the playoff run.
The Lions hope Adams can return to 2019 form when he was a CFL East all-star. They also acquired Dane Evans, who struggled last year with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats after helping them reach the Grey Cup the past two seasons. It is an intriguing 1-2 punch at QB.
Receivers Dominique Rhymes, Keon Hatcher and Lucky Whitehead all finished in the top 10 in receiving yards last year. The big question is can they maintain that pace without Rourke.
Edmonton Elks
Last season: 4-14, fifth in West Division, missed playoffs.
Head coach: Chris Jones (57-51 in six seasons in CFL — three with Edmonton and three with Saskatchewan. He returned to Edmonton for a second stint last year).
Starting quarterback: Taylor Cornelius (Entering third season in CFL, all with Edmonton).
The skinny
Jones inherited a mess last year and the result was predictable. The roster was a revolving door during a true rebuilding season.
By year’s end, though, the Elks believed they identified a starting quarterback in the six-foot-five Cornelius.
The big quarterback has a top target in marquee free agent Eugene Lewis, a huge producer the past few years with a Montreal team that had trouble settling on a starting quarterback.
The Elks are on an astounding 17-game losing streak at home, a CFL record. They haven’t won at Commonwealth Stadium since before the pandemic in 2019.
To their credit, the Elks haven’t been above poking fun at themselves.
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They have a real shot to end that streak in Week 1 when they host Saskatchewan.
Saskatchewan Roughriders
Last season: 6-12, fourth in West Division, missed playoffs.
Head coach: Craig Dickenson (28-20 in three seasons in CFL, all with Saskatchewan).
Starting quarterback: Trevor Harris (Entering 12th season in CFL, first with Saskatchewan).
The skinny
A disaster of a Grey Cup-hosting season ended with the Roughriders missing the playoffs after losing their final seven games.
The Roughriders gave up a franchise-record sack total, had numerous off-field woes and stripped starting quarterback Cody Fajardo of his job late in the season when the team still had playoff hopes.
However, the team decided to retain Dickenson and general manager Jeremy O’Day, giving them a chance to clean things up after they guided the team to the West final the previous two seasons.
The big new piece is Harris, who revitalized his career in Montreal last year before signing with the Roughriders this off-season.
Linebacker Larry Dean anchors the defence after fellow LB Darnell Sankey departed for the XFL.
Week 1 Picks
B.C. Lions at Calgary Stampeders (-3.5), Thursday, 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT
Rematch of last year’s West semifinal — except with no Rourke. Including that game, Calgary was 1-3 versus B.C. last year. A message could be sent with a win here. PICK: Calgary
Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Winnipeg Blue Bombers (-5.5), Friday, 8:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. PT
Mitchell faces a massive challenge in his Hamilton debut. Winnipeg was 8-1 at home last season. PICK: Winnipeg
Ottawa Redblacks at Montreal Alouettes (-3.5), Saturday, 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT
Redblacks starting quarterback Jeremiah Masoli isn’t ready to return just yet from a season-ending leg injury suffered last year. That gives the start to Nick Arbuckle. This is Montreal’s first game with Fajardo as starting quarterback and Pierre Karl Peladeau, fresh off a Memorial Cup win with the Quebec Remparts, as owner. PICK: Montreal
Saskatchewan Roughriders (-2.5) at Edmonton Elks, Sunday, 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT
Harris returns to one of his former CFL homes in his first game as a Roughrider. Jones’ teams showed improvements in second seasons in his previous coaching stints with Saskatchewan and Edmonton. We expect the same this time around with the Elks. PICK: Edmonton
Odds from FanDuel on Wednesday afternoon.
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If history is any indication, the Florida Panthers are in trouble. Only five of 53 teams have rallied from a 2-0 deficit in a best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final. To make matters worse, Florida’s 12 goals against are tied for the most through the first two games of a final.
It would be easy to write off the Panthers right now, but there are reasons to believe that they can at least make the series competitive. Florida, despite being outscored 8-3 at 5-on-5, has carried 55.2 per cent of expected goals. Although that has been somewhat influenced by score effects, it shows that the Panthers have not been utterly caved in by the Vegas Golden Knights. They are also winning the slot battle at 5-on-5, holding a 35-31 edge in scoring chances. (Adin Hill has stopped 18 of the Panthers’ 21 slot shots on net.)
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The first thing the Panthers need to do is keep the Golden Knights and themselves out of their goaltender’s line of vision. The Golden Knights have scored five goals on 24 screened shots in all situations, including four against Sergei Bobrovsky on 18 shots. In their first 16 playoff games, the Panthers allowed seven goals on 123 screened shots. On multiple occasions, Panthers skaters have blinded their own goaltender while trying to block a shot.
“If we’re going to be there, you’ve got to block them,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice told reporters after Game 2. We’ve got to get in front of those shots, so we’re working at it. We’re trying, but we’re about three inches off on those shots.”
The Panthers must also do a better job of slowing down the Golden Knights once they cross the offensive blue line. Vegas has made a successful first play, such as a completed pass or unblocked shot attempt, following 36 of its 49 offensive-zone carry-ins at 5-on-5 (73.5 per cent). Compare that to the first three rounds, when Florida’s opponents had a combined success rate of 54.5 per cent.
“Their rush game is elite, but we’ve faced other teams like that,” Maurice told reporters Tuesday. “We’ve just put ourselves in a position where we’ve had to give more ice than we want to give. Some of it’s based on their speed. They’re going to get those chances. And some of it is just our positioning. The first game was very even, in terms of what we gave off the rush to what we got off the rush. (In Game 2), clearly they got on us off the rush, and because we were in a deficit by the time they crossed the line, we had a harder time containing and killing those plays in the (defensive) zone, so it’ll be a focus for us, for sure.”
Discipline has been a big issue for the Panthers as well. They have racked up a staggering 130 penalty minutes, including 36 by leading scorer Matthew Tkachuk, who has been whistled for three misconducts. The Golden Knights have scored on four of their 11 power-play opportunities.
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The Panthers have already defied the odds this postseason, overcoming a 3-1 deficit to defeat the record-setting Boston Bruins in the first round. They will lean on that experience as they attempt to claw their way back into the Stanley Cup Final.
“(When) we were down 3-1 (against the Bruins), we still had some good moments in the games,” Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov told reporters Wednesday. “We took good things out of them and tried to repeat that for 60 minutes. We did that three games straight. Here, it’s no different.”
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Canada coach Bev Priestman has named her roster for a camp in Australia prior to next month’s FIFA Women’s World Cup, including several players who have been racing to get fit in time for the tournament.
Twenty-five players will attend the Canadian camp starting June 28 on the Gold Coast, with a final tune-up game against fourth-ranked England to be played July 14 behind closed doors.
Priestman will announce her final 23-woman roster on July 9, one day before the FIFA deadline. Sixth-ranked Canada opens Group B play July 21 against No. 42 Nigeria in Melbourne before facing No. 22 Ireland on July 26 in Perth and No. 10 Australia on July 31 back in Melbourne.
“With the preparation camp being only weeks away, I’m so excited to name this squad and see what this squad can bring as we move that much closer towards the Women’s World Cup,” Priestman said in a statement. “Picking this roster brought some incredibly difficult decisions and conversations, which I think speaks volumes to how competitive and exciting the group is.”
“I must acknowledge the hard work of the players, the clubs and our dedicated support staff to have some long-term injured players available for this camp as I know all parties have done everything possible to get to this point,” she added.
Deanne Rose, Nichelle Prince, Desiree Scott and Quinn, who goes by one name, all make the pre-tournament roster.
Rose and Prince have been recovering from Achilles injuries while Scott picked up an injury at the end of the 2022 season that required surgery. Quinn was dealing with a leg issue.
Veteran centre-back Shelina Zadorsky has recovered from the illness that kept her out of the last camp.
The pre-tournament roster contains a wealth of experience, led by Christine Sinclair. The team’s talismanic captain, who turns 40 on Monday, is preparing for her sixth World Cup.
The world’s leading international goal-scorer with 190, Sinclair has made 323 appearances for Canada.
Other veterans include Kadeisha Buchanan (131 caps), Alyssa Chapman (96), Jessie Fleming (115), Ashley Lawrence (117), Adriana Leon (96) and Sophie Schmidt (221).
Priestman has said she will give her injured players as much time as possible to return from health, which is understandable given the experience they bring to the table.
Scott has won 186 caps while Prince has 90, Quinn and Zadorsky 89 and Rose 73.
Janine Beckie will miss the World Cup after undergoing knee surgery. The influential and versatile forward, who tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee in March in a Portland Thorns pre-season game, has 36 goals in 101 appearances for Canada.
The pre-tournament roster, which includes eight players yet to take part in a World Cup, has an average age of 27.
Forwards Clarissa Larisey and Evelyne Viens are both included on the camp roster although Canada Soccer says they won’t be released by their Swedish clubs until the July 10 start of the official FIFA international window.
“This camp is about us solidifying our identity and player partnerships whilst preparing for our group stage opponents,” said Priestman. “We know we have three difficult games, all with different styles of play and so being able to adapt and be equipped for all three is important whilst really harnessing and imposing our strengths on any opponent we face.”
The World Cup features 32 countries playing 64 matches across nine host cities in Australia and New Zealand.
The Olympic champion Canadian women last played April 11, when they lost 2-1 to No. 5 France in Le Mans.
Canada Pre-Tournament Camp Roster
Goalkeepers: Sabrina D’Angelo, Arsenal (England); Lysianne Proulx, SCU Torreense (Portugal); Kailen Sheridan, San Diego Wave FC (NSWSL).
Defenders: Kadeisha Buchanan, Chelsea (England); Allysha Chapman, Houston Dash (NWSL); Vanessa Gilles, Olympique Lyonnais (France); Ashley Lawrence, Paris Saint-Germain (France); Jayde Riviere, Manchester United (England); Jade Rose, Harvard University (NCAA); Shelina Zadorsky, Tottenham (England).
Midfielders: Quinn, OL Reign (NWSL); Marie-Yasmine Alidou D’Anjou, Famalicão (Portugal); Simi Awujo, USC (NCAA); Jessie Fleming, Chelsea (England); Julia Grosso, Juventus (Italy); Sophie Schmidt, Houston Dash (NWSL); Desiree Scott, Kansas City Current (NWSL).
Forwards: Jordyn Huitema, OL Reign (NWSL); Cloe Lacasse, SL Benfica (Portugal); Clarissa Larisey, BK Hacken FF (Sweden); Adriana Leon, Portland Thorns (NWSL); Christine Sinclair, Portland Thorns (NWSL); Nichelle Prince, Houston Dash (NWSL); Deanne Rose, Reading (England); Evelyne Viens, Kristianstads DFF (Sweden).
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