Near the end of the third quarter in the Raptors’ exhibition opener against Houston on Tuesday, Fred VanVleet rushed down the court and took a hurried 3-pointer. It missed, which is not the point, especially in the preseason.



Forget about the what; it was about the where and the when. VanVleet took it from about 30 feet away from the basket, which should not come as a shock given the number of 28-foot bombs he took during last week’s intrasquad scrimmage. He took it with about 29 seconds left on the game clock, setting the Raptors up to get two of the quarter’s final three possessions. Both the distance and the timing were trademarks of another Raptor — Kyle Lowry. For more than three seasons now, Lowry has been something of a mentor to VanVleet, owing to the similarities the two share in size and style, as well as the fact that the two point guards shared an agent early in VanVleet’s career.



“Everyone knows Freddie is my...