Landry Fields felt the need to prove himself after signing a reported 3-year, $20 million contract with the Toronto Raptors last summer.

“Earlier on I really did feel that,” said Fields, who has played 7 games since returning from a right elbow injury. “But going through this whole surgery thing has really been a humbling experience. I kind of promised myself when I came back that I wasn’t going to focus on that anymore. I was just going to go out there and play my game. What they gave me and what I’ve come here to do are on their own accord. All I can do now is control what I can do. I can’t really worry about (the contract). That just puts too much added pressure on myself.”

Fields returned to the starting lineup in Wednesday’s win over the Philadelphia 76ers and finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds for his first double-double in a Raptors uniform.

“He’s not going to score 20 or 30 points a night but he’ll rebound, his passing the ball, defending multiple positions, he is our utility guy,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. “He has grown into that glue guy that we need, a team guy who plays at a high level, does all the right things. He can run the break for us. He has really, really improved, but the No. 1 thing I have seen improve since he came back from the surgery is his confidence. He is playing with a tremendous amount of confidence and I think that has helped other parts of his game.”