The surprising draft day trade of Greivis Vasquez by Masai Ujiri was an interesting, yet sad move.
First let’s start by recognizing Vasquez’s time with the Toronto Raptors. No matter what you thought of his game, the man’s energy was an absolute delight to watch on the court. Unlike many of the other Raptors, he was a firecracker: overtly passionate, loaded with swagger and always displaying his intensity. It’s what made him so much fun to watch, and so easy to root for on and off the court.
Offensively, Vasquez could be frustrating to watch at times. He could be very quick to pull the trigger, both in the half-court and in transition, and could hurt a team as much he could help them with his streaky shooting. Yet his game still had enormous value with the Raptors. His three-point shooting and passing ability made him such a great compliment to Kyle Lowry, and it was why they were so effective together during the Raptors surprising playoff-run in 2014.
During that run, he shot 38.9% from beyond the arc. He could serve as the primary ball handler and create offence, letting Lowry play off of the ball, or he could be a dangerous trigger man that loved taking huge shots. He averaged 3.7 assists during both seasons with the team, yet his passing really was a key element to the team’s success; he was a very ballsy and very skilled passer. The difference between this year and last year is proof of how valuable his skill at moving the ball was to the team.
Vasquez’s assist rate dropped by almost six percentage points during the past two seasons. He was a huge part of the team’s new found spread the ball around attack offense, and then began to lose value as the team morphed into an isolation outfit. This had a huge impact on the team’s success: The Raptors had a much better winning percentage last season after they got the players from the Sacramento Kings (a record of 41-21) than this year.
The fact that Lou Williams is also employed by the team does make one of them expendable, as evidenced by this season. They can both become shot happy, and having both of them on the floor put the Raptors into some dicey spots defensively. One of them was often stuck guarding John Wall during the Washington Wizards series, a definite no-no if you’re serious about advancing to the next round. Thus, it was clear that one, or both of them were not going to be on the roster next season. The Vasquez move made sense, as it cleared up space for assets, and will allow the Raptors to bring in better fitting players such as Delon Wright.
With that being said, let’s look at some of Greivis’ best moments as a Raptor.
Dat swag
Shoe Release
Vasquez released a shoe line called the North Six and we got to cover the event. Was pretty cool.
Interviews
There has been many instances where GV endorsed Toronto as the best city, having the best fans, and expressed his desire to retire here. Too bad it didn’t work out that way, but it was a pleasure watching the genuine passion and love he had for the city.
The sole Raptors highlight from the 2015 playoffs
This was classic Vasquez. The ballsy shot followed by the swagger was truly the climax of the Raptors 2015 playoff run. What a moment.
Thank you for your service and all the best in Milwaukee, Swaggy G.
