Everything felt weird for Fred VanVleet seven days ago. Inside the Toyota Center, he helped the Houston Rockets take a 135-106 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Feb. 2. And for the first time in his career, VanVleet played against the Raptors as an opponent.
The Rockets and Raptors held a rematch Friday night, which led to a 107-104 loss for Houston. VanVleet did not play due to a left adductor strain. However, his return to Scotiabank Arena marked VanVleet's first appearance since his departure in July.
Before the trip, VanVleet told Inside the Rockets that he did not know what to expect. From the moment he arrived during morning shootaround, the Raptors celebrated one of their all-time greats in franchise history.
"I was obviously excited about making the trip," VanVleet said. "It was good to visit some people and spend time at some of my favorite places. [Toronto] is definitely one of my favorite places in the world.
"I thought I was going to be alright not playing. I've played hurt enough in my career and know my body. I fought with the training staff, but it did not make sense for me to play. I was okay with that until I got here. I am a little bit sad. But Overall, happy to be here."
The Raptors greeted VanVleet with a "Welcome Back Champ" billboard outside the arena. During the Rockets' first timeout at the 7:38 mark of the first quarter, VanVleet received a tribute video and a standing ovation.
The Raptors are different from the team VanVleet called home after he signed as an undrafted free agent in 2016. Scottie Barnes, Chris Boucher and Jakob Poeltl are the only players who played with VanVleet last season. Boucher is the lone player remaining from their 2019 championship roster.
But outside of Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, VanVleet may have been the Raptors' most influential player of the past five seasons.
He became the seventh player in franchise history to receive an All-Star nod (2022). But his most significant role came in helping the franchise win their lone championship.
During the six-game series against the Golden State Warriors, VanVleet averaged 14.0 points on 45.4 percent shooting from the field, to go along with 2.2 assists in 32.4 minutes of play.
"That's a place I called home for several years," VanVleet said. "Being back in that building, so much history. But all good things come to an end. That era that I was a part of, that chapter closed. I've opened up a new one, and I am excited about what the future holds for them as well."
The 6-foot-0 guard averaged 14.6 points on 40.2 percent shooting from the field, 5.3 assists and 1.3 steals across 417 career games with the Raptors. With 6,090 total points scored, VanVleet ranks eighth all-time in franchise history in scoring. Third in assists (2,199) and second all-time in 3-point field goals made (2,684).
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