Minus VanVleet, Raptors look to fill leadership void at training camp

Whether it was on the court, in the locker room, or in front of cameras and microphones, Fred VanVleet was the voice of the Toronto Raptors for the past two NBA seasons.

But after VanVleet signed a lucrative free-agent deal with the Houston Rockets in the off-season it's not immediately apparent who will be the Raptors new leader, or if it will be a group of players who step forward to guide the team.

Several players and team president Masai Ujiri all have their own ideas as to how Toronto's leadership situation will shake out this season.

"I wouldn't say I see an obvious choice," said shooting guard Gary Trent Jr. ahead of the Raptors' training camp. "It's like a natural thing. It's not like somebody you can appoint to do that.

Trent said every player brings something different to a team, and it will become apparent whose personal experiences benefit the locker room as the Raptors' season develops.

"It's really just about open communication and being truthful to one another, holding one another accountable," said Trent.

"Making sure if somebody wants to be doing something, they hear it and they know that and they should be receptive to that and be able to take constructive criticism and be able to grow from it, almost like brothers."

He signed a two-year, $26 million US deal with the Raptors on July 12 to become the team's presumptive starting point guard. That deal took up Toronto's entire mid-level exception.

After signing with the Raptors, Schroder led Germany to its first championship at the FIBA Basketball World Cup. Schroder was named the World Cup MVP after Germany beat Serbia 83-77 in the final on Sept. 10. He averaged 17.9 points and 6.7 assists per game in the tournament.

"He had a great World Cup and shows