On Monday night, the Toronto Raptors return to Scotiabank Arena for the first time since Feb. 28, 2020, taking on the Philadelphia 76ers in their pre-season opener.
The global COVID-19 pandemic forced the Raptors to finish the 2019-20 season in the Orlando bubble, before playing the entire 2020-21 campaign on the road. Their “home” court was at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla. so it’s safe to say the team is looking forward to playing in front of Toronto fans again.
“Just happy to be home,” Raptors star Fred VanVleet said on The Raptors Show with Will Lou on Sportsnet 590 The Fan. “You have to be away from something to know what it means. Professionally, that was an anomaly that should’ve never happened.”
[radioclip id=5212117]VanVleet’s tenure with the Raptors has centred around a culture of winning and success. The franchise made the playoffs for seven straight seasons, which included winning the 2018-19 NBA Championship, but saw that streak end last season.
He admitted the grind of the season away from Toronto was “mentally challenging” at times.
“It felt different. Something was off,” VanVleet said of last season. “You do a lot of soul searching. COVID hit and there was nothing we can do after that. It was definitely mentally challenging personally, emotionally, and professionally.”
Despite not making the playoffs and finishing 12th in the Eastern Conference, VanVleet did take away some positives from the season on the road. He averaged a career-high in scoring (19.6 points per game), which included a 54-point performance against the Orlando Magic on Feb. 2.
The personal accomplishments, however, pale in comparison to winning as a team, VanVleet said.
“My DNA is ‘If you aren’t winning, it doesn’t matter,’” VanVleet said. “I learned a lot and loosened up a little bit. More so than ever I want to get back to what we know and that familiar feeling.”
With Kyle Lowry leaving the Raptors to join the Miami Heat during free agency, VanVleet will be the starting point guard entering the 2021-22 season and will be counted on to play a larger leadership role.
VanVleet said that he, OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam met with Raptors president Masai Ujiri for a “leadership summit.” The trio will be counted on for big things on the court but will also be expected to help the younger players get more comfortable with life in the NBA.
“It’s cool to get in the same room and figure things out,” VanVleet said on his meeting with Ujiri, Siakam and Anunoby. “For me, I’ve been pretty much cemented. (Masai said) It’s you three now.
“It’s winning over everything for me. I’m not in the NBA to make friends. Hopefully the guys I play with want to win and be successful.”
The Raptors host the 76ers at 7 p.m. ET/ 4 p.m. PT Monday night on Sportsnet ONE and SN Now. They open the 2021-22 regular season on Oct. 20 against the Washington Wizards.
