Making it work takes a little longer for Raptors

Fred VanVleet laughs.

The conversation is about work ethic and work demands on professional athletes, and how they handle it, when the Raptors guard is asked whether he thinks run-of-the-mill fans truly understand what the life is like.

Kawhi Leonard’s singleminded determination before and during games has been a winning formula for the Raptors, and had an impact throughout the lineup.And he laughs. Quickly.

“No chance,” he says. “No chance. Show up to the games, get paid good money, drive nice cars, right? People have no idea.”

There are many reasons why the Raptors are as good as they are this season, and they have been recounted many times.

The emergence of Pascal Siakam as a legitimate…