Was Fred VanVleet calling out Raptors teammates with spicy comments?

Fred VanVleet and the Toronto Raptors are officially out of the postseason festivities just one year after they won 48 games and earned the No. 5 seed in the conference. The home loss to the Chicago Bulls underscored how far this team has fallen in recent months.

The Raptors were the envy of the rest of the league in 2021-22 as they managed to make the warring concepts of development and winning now work together in a harmonious relationship. This relationship fell completely out of whack in what became a very cursed 2022-23 season.

VanVleet was palpably frustrated after the club’s crushing loss against the Bulls, voicing his frustrations with the squad’s perceived lack of development. VanVleet challenged many of the players on his team to snap out of it and take their responsibilities more seriously.

“I think that at a certain point you can’t make anybody grow up,” VanVleet said, via Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com. It’s going to happen at their own pace and their own speed, and that’s the frustrating part about maturity, and just the development stage is that you can harp on it all you want to.”

Fred VanVleet called out his Toronto Raptors teammates.

VanVleet is not in a position to do more babysitting at this point in his career. While he already secured a long contract in his first free agency push and picked up his championship ring, he is very clearly looking for a spot to maximize his chances of a second ring.

The Raptors likely frustrated VanVleet due to their desire to develop their young talent and win big games on the fly. Not only did it give off a very confusing vibe due to the fact the team looked directionless, but it also forced veterans like VanVleet and Pascal Siakam to pick up the slack constantly.

While he didn’t mention anyone by name, it’s clear that this was targeting some of the younger players on the team. 2023-24 will be a huge year for Scottie Barnes and Precious Achiuwa, as stagnation in their development might be a death knell for this front office.

The Raptors need to show urgency, with VanVleet even saying as much ahead of his impending free agency. If this team is serious about putting together a product that can compete for championships, VanVleet believes that many of their top players need to step their collective games up.