Who would win a Raptors-only track-and-field day? How good is Amir Johnson’s Celine Dion impression? When was the last time Dwane Casey cried at the movies? Every day until the season starts, we throw a Raptor in front of a green screen and ask him the tough questions. Today, Greivis Vasquez says he’s the best—and perhaps the worst—dancer on the team.
Know Your Raptors: Lou Williams | Kyle Lowry | Bruno Caboclo | Chuck Hayes | Jonas Valanciunas | Amir Johnson | Tyler Hansbrough | Landry Fields | Terrence Ross | James Johnson | Patrick Patterson | Lucas Nogueira | DeMar DeRozan | Greivis Vasquez | Dwane Casey
When Sacramento traded for Greivis Vasquez before the 2013–14 season it seemed like a perfect fit—a pass-first point guard on a team that had come to be known for its overabundance of shoot-first players. In his previous two seasons in New Orleans, Vasquez had dished out 1,063 assists, third most in the league in the stretch behind only Chris Paul and Deron Williams (and ahead of guys like Rajon Rondo and Steve Nash).
Vasquez started all 18 games he played for the Kings and performed as advertised, averaging 13.6 points and 7.4 assists per 36 minutes, but still the team was willing to give him up in the trade that brought Rudy Gay to Sactown. In the end, the Kings’ loss was the Raptors’ gain.
Not only was six-foot-six Vasquez the perfect fit for Toronto’s revamped second unit, but he teamed well with Kyle Lowry in effective—if infrequent, at least until the playoffs when coach Dwane Casey shortened the rotation—two-point guard lineups.
The Raptors also discovered their new pass-first point guard could be called upon to score when given a chance as he hit a career-high 38.9 percent of his threes. At 27 and with a new two-year, $13-million contract in his pocket, the former Maryland standout could play an even bigger role this season as he hit training camp at full health for the first time in three years. He had suitors elsewhere, but in the end he wanted a chance to grow on a winning team on its way up. “My heart is here,” he said.
2013–14 Stats (with Toronto): 9.5 Pts/G, 2.3 Reb/G, 3.7 Ast/G, 0.4 Stl/G, 41.7 FG%, 21.5 Min/G