Terence “The ‘Rence is Too Damn High” Davis is the one person standing in the way of Fred VanVleet playing 48 minutes per game. If Davis was like every other undrafted rookie and was borderline unplayable, then the Raptors’ point guard options with Lowry out would be very limited. Limited enough that FVV would be getting Chamberlain-esque numbers with Chamberlain-esque production (well, half of what Chamberlain-esque production would be, anyway).
Luckily for VanVleet’s health and sanity, Davis ISN’T like every other undrafted rookie. He’s playable, and not only his playable, but there are times when you would WANT to play him. From everything I’ve seen of him (which is only highlight videos), he has the appearances of a competent backup point guard. In fact, I feel like VanVleet is being relied on too much when considering that Davis is more than capable of keeping the offense afloat when he’s on the court. He’s on/off of +11.7 only attests to that fact.
Now that we’ve determined that the point guard situation in Toronto is A.O.K. as long as Nick Nurse maintains sane rotations, the question becomes: is Lowry even needed anymore? He’s old and he’s not going to get better. He’s a memory of good times, sure, but he’s also a memory of bad times. Playoff choking times. DeRozan times. It’s not too late to callously trade him for value while there’s still value left in him. I will have you know that I do this type of thing in my basketball-gm league all the time.