Absence makes Raptors guard Fred VanVleet fonder of his own game

The hope was that Fred VanVleet would return from a month-long absence because of a thumb injury rested and ready to put a season full of disappointing nagging injuries behind him.

He had missed games with a sprained left big toe, a bruised left thigh and a back soreness that never really went away. He began most games with a back brace on and a heat pack applied. While it wasn’t completely debilitating, it was certainly, well, a pain.