Fred VanVleet sets Raptors assists record: Key stats behind record-breaking performance

Gilbert McGregor

Fred VanVleet sets Raptors assists record: Key stats behind record-breaking performance image

Fred VanVleet and history go hand-in-hand.

In Sunday's win over the Hornets, VanVleet again rewrote the Raptors' record books by dishing out a franchise-record 20 assists to go along with 20 points in 38 minutes of action. VanVleet is now the owner of the franchise's single-game record for assists and points, a record he set during the 2020-21 NBA season.

The 20 assists are spectacular as is, but there's even more beyond the numbers that put his performance in perspective. Here are a few stats to know from VanVleet's latest record-breaking game.

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Stats to know from Fred VanVleet's record-breaking performance

The assists

Prior to VanVleet's record-breaking performance, Toronto's single-game assist record was a three-way tie between Jose Calderon, Kyle Lowry and Damon Stoudamire, each of whom dished out 19 assists.

With the record, VanVleet becomes the first Raptor to dish out over 20 assists in a game and just the second player to do so during the 2022-23 season, the first being James Harden.

Raptors single-game assists leaders
Rank Player Assists Date
1. Fred VanVleet 20 April 2, 2023
2. Kyle Lowry 19 March 4, 2021
  Jose Calderon 19 Feb. 4, 2011
  Damon Stoudamire 19 Feb. 27, 1996
5. Jose Calderon 18 Nov. 18, 2012
  T.J. Ford 18 Nov. 18, 2006
  T.J. Ford 18 March 14, 2007

20 and 20

VanVleet's performance is just the fourth 20-20 game in Raptors franchise history, the first three coming via points and rebounds. VanVleet joins Chris Bosh and Popeye Jones as the only Raptors to put forth such a game.

  • Popeye Jones (Dec. 11, 1996): 22 points, 21 rebounds
  • Chris Bosh (March 25, 2005): 24 points, 22 rebounds
  • Chris Bosh (Nov. 14, 2006): 23 points, 22 rebounds
  • Fred VanVleet (April 2, 2023): 20 points, 20 assists 

Fred and Wilt

On Feb. 2, 2021, VanVleet broke the Raptors' single-game scoring record with 54 points thanks to shooting 17-of-23 from the field and 11-of-17 from 3-point range.

VanVleet's performance makes him one of just two players to own a franchise's record for single-game scoring and assists. The other? Wilt Chamberlain, who has the 76ers' single-game scoring record with 68 points and has a three-way tie for the single-game assists record with 21.

That said, VanVleet is the only player that is the sole owner of both records for a single franchise.

"I'll be able to appreciate all this stuff at a later time," VanVleet said of his record postgame. "The further I get from [the 54-point game], the more I appreciate, so maybe it'll be the same for this."

Apologies to Russell Westbrook, who set the Thunder's single-game records with 58 points and 24 assists, but because the franchise history is shared with Seattle's, Nate McMillan's 25 assists in a SuperSonics uniform stand in the way of Westbrook being a part of the list.

Uncharted territory

Since going undrafted in 2016, VanVleet has exceeded expectations and then some. His 54 points are the most from an undrafted player in a single game, he's part of an exclusive list of undrafted players to earn an All-Star selection and after Sunday, is a part of an even more exclusive list of undrafted players.

VanVleet and Bob Davies are the only undrafted players in NBA history to register a game with 20-plus points and 20-plus assists.

Gilbert McGregor

Gilbert McGregor Photo

Gilbert McGregor first joined The Sporting News in 2018 as a content producer for Global editions of NBA.com. Before covering the game, McGregor played basketball collegiately at Wake Forest, graduating with a Communication degree in 2016. McGregor began covering the NBA during the 2017-18 season and has been on hand for a number of league events.