The shorthanded Raptors cannot catch a break.
Toronto was already without key players like All-NBA forward Pascal Siakam (adductor strain) and rotation bigs Khem Birch (knee) and Precious Achiuwa (ankle). Now, it will also be without All-Star guard Fred VanVleet as he battles a non-COVID illness.
This comes as a tough blow to the Raptors as they try and navigate a number of absences to overcome a 7-7 start to the season. VanVleet is averaging 18.4 points, 6.8 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 2.3 steals over the Raptors' first 10 games, but he will now miss his second consecutive game due to an illness.
For more on VanVleet's absence, The Sporting News has you covered below.
Why isn't Fred VanVleet playing vs. Pistons?
VanVleet will miss his second game with a non-COVID illness, already ruled out for Monday's matchup with the Pistons.
Per Raptors: Fred VanVleet is out (due to non-COVID illness); Khem Birch (knee) is questionable.
— Michael Grange (@michaelgrange) November 13, 2022
VanVleet was pulled early from Friday night's blowout loss to the Thunder and was seen walking out of the arena with a mask on after the game. According to Sportsnet's Michael Grange, VanVleet was "moving like a guy who has the flu."
When head coach Nick Nurse was asked about pulling VanVleet after the loss, he told the media, "we didn't have much of a spark."
VanVleet should be considered day-to-day moving forward.
Raptors upcoming schedule 2022
| Date | Matchup | Time (ET) |
| Nov. 14 | at Pistons | 7 p.m. |
| Nov. 16 | vs. Heat | 7:30 p.m. |
| Nov. 19 | at Hawks | 6 p.m. |
| Nov. 23 | vs. Nets | 7:30 p.m. |
| Nov. 26 | vs. Mavericks | 5 p.m. |