VanVleet says Raptors will ‘take their lumps and move on’ but there’s a sense of promise despite tight losses

It may be onerous to have a look at a blurry, massive image the place nothing is clearly in focus and it’s particularly onerous when the truth of the second is close to fixed disappointment.

However the sense of promise, the sense that issues can and can finally flip round and even out, retains the Raptors going as a result of there actually is not any various.

“You simply bought to continue to learn on this league and in life basically however I’ve realized to be extra affected person with the ups and the downs, there’s occasions to be impatient and there’s time to indicate it,” Fred VanVleet, who's the conscience of this group, mentioned.

“Simply protecting this group level-headed and understanding that there’s a number of ups and downs to the season and we’re group, we’re a very good group and we've to proceed to develop and get higher and I feel the make-up of this group goes to permit for sure ups and downs at sure occasions.”

The truth that could be getting misplaced a bit in per week that’s seen the Raptors lose robust video games in opposition to large groups in Phoenix, Miami and Dallas whereas successful in Milwaukee is that this season has been handled as a constructing block because it started.

It’s studying about key younger gamers, giving them alternatives to develop and looking out on the far greater image.

It doesn’t do a lot within the right here and now to lose three of these 4 well-played video games nevertheless it could be a lift sooner or later.

“This has been like an unbelievable stretch of video games right here in opposition to actually good groups,” Nurse mentioned. “I imply, three of the 4 — if not 4 of the 4 — with championship aspirations or at the least deep runs within the playoffs and it’s been extremely precious expertise.

“I do know our guys have performed a number of heavy minutes however they’re getting a ton of reps.”

Whereas the great performances haven’t become good outcomes, it’s not just like the Raptors have performed themselves all the way down to the underside of the Jap Convention standings and they're weathering a tough schedule stretch pretty nicely.

They continue to be a .500 group — a 41-win common season could be acceptable and a 14-game enchancment over final season — they usually stay within the thick of the playoff race.

It’s precarious in that they're a half recreation away from being out of even the play-in portion of the publish season however they're additionally solely 2 ½ video games out of seventh and 4 out of sixth heading in to Thursday’s video games. It’s not like they're lifeless and buried by any means.

“I feel we’ve proven there’s one thing right here for positive,” VanVleet mentioned. “Now, how do you polish that up, package deal that up and assist that and construct that, no matter that's that we’ve proven.

“Now we have an awesome chemistry, we've younger guys which might be rising, we've confirmed gamers, we've guys which might be attempting to take that subsequent step and go from good to nice. We’ve bought just a little little bit of every little thing and we’ve bought to proceed to mould it, develop it and perceive the massive image.”

It’s straightforward to grasp why Nurse has in the reduction of the rotation so drastically: It will get the group’s greatest gamers on the court docket essentially the most and offers the group the perfect likelihood to win every night time.

It might not be sustainable over even two weeks nevertheless it shouldn’t must be. When the Raptors get key rotation bits Gary Trent Jr. and Khem Birch again, it should add productive depth and ease the load on the seven guys who play a lot now.

Till then — and Trent might play Friday, Birch may solely be per week away — the Raptors will depend on confirmed expertise.

“We’re in a battle. We’re grinding it out. We bought high-character guys, guys that work extraordinarily onerous. We’ve bought an awesome medical group, an awesome group,” VanVleet mentioned. “We’re doing every little thing we are able to to play onerous each night time. I feel we’re getting nice performances for the blokes who're enjoying. That is what we’ve bought till in any other case.”

The actual fact the Raptors have performed nicely much more usually than they’ve performed poorly previously three weeks ought to point out they're shifting in the appropriate route and it most likely does.

VanVleet, nonetheless, sees every recreation as a one-off occasion.

“Most likely neither,” he mentioned when requested if he’s seen the final week as irritating or promising.

“I’m not the kind to dwell on it or be impressed by it. I feel we’ve performed good basketball in spots. It takes much more to win on this league. We’re studying that as a group. You are taking your lumps and transfer on to the following one.”