Raptors' Scottie Barnes reveals why Fred VanVleet's departure offers high hopes for Toronto
09/18/2023 12:57 PM
The Toronto Raptors have been notorious for adding championship-level talent during the offseason. They did so in 2018 when they traded DeMar DeRozan for Kawhi Leonard and this front office led by Masai Ujiri always seems to have a great feel for how to build their roster.
However, this offseason was not too kind to the Raptors, as they ended up losing All-Star point guard Fred VanVleet in free agency to the Houston Rockets. One of the better names available, Toronto was unable to compete with the three-year, $130 million contract VanVleet ultimately signed with Houston. Now, even though Pascal Siakam remains as one of the faces of the franchise, Scottie Barnes is the player the Raptors are focused on building around.
Through two years in the league, the 2021-22 Rookie of the Year has proven to be a two-way talent who can do a little bit of everything on the floor at virtually any position. The Raptors are high on Barnes’ potential and he is looking forward to what his team can achieve this upcoming season, claiming that they will find success even though VanVleet is no longer leading their backcourt.
"Losing Fred [VanVleet] was a huge lost, but it just opens up more opportunities for other people & myself… I feel like we're going to do really good this year."
Scottie Barnes on his expectations for the Raptors this season
(via @CBCNews)
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 18, 2023
“Losing Fred was a huge loss, but it just opens up more opportunities for other people and myself,” Barnes told CBC News in Canada. “We’re all just going to go through this together. We have a whole new coaching staff. They’ve been bringing a lot of energy, it’s been great. I would say expect great things from us. I feel like we’re going to do really good this year.”
The Raptors finished the 2022-23 season with a 41-41 record and they missed the playoffs for just the second time since the start of the 2013-14 season. This sparked a full change to the coaching staff, as Barnes alluded to, and this roster does look a lot different than it did a season ago.
With VanVleet gone, the Raptors decided to bring in former Los Angeles Lakers point guard Dennis Schroder, who recently claimed the MVP award for Germany at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Jalen McDaniels joined the team in free agency as well and Gradey Dick is set to make his debut in Toronto’s backcourt when the regular season begins.
At the end of the day, the success the Raptors potentially find depends on how well Siakam and Barnes play. They are the only two reliable options on this roster and new head coach Darko Rajakovic is going to be leaning on them to get the job done.
Expectations for Barnes have been set very high by the organization, which is why he is ready to step into a leadership role for the 2023-24 season.
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