3 reasons why Raptors’ proposed Fred VanVleet plan makes no sense

1. It limits Scottie Barnes

The way the Raptors are handling Barnes is one of the most confusing things they have done in quite some time. Using him as the fourth or fifth option made sense early in his career, but wasn’t this supposed to be the make-or-break third season where he really gets turned loose?

Are they just supposed to tell VanVleet, who will be back on a nine-figure contract, just to shoot fewer shots? Why would he do that? Furthermore, Siakam, Anunoby, and Trent are all in contract years. They won’t be willing to ease up on their production and hurt their financial future so Barnes is taken care of.

The Toronto Raptors must develop Scottie Barnes.

VanVleet is a productive player at his best, but how are the Raptors expected to make sure Barnes can gain confidence and show off his skills when the sluggish pace at which VanVleet runs the offense will continue to be a problem? Can Darko Rajakovic completely change his offensive mindset?

Barnes is going to need an extension in the future, and it might rub his camp the wrong way if Toronto continues to let VanVleet steer the offensive ship. The timeline for VanVleet just is not aligned with that of a Raptors team looking to rebrand themselves under young stars like Barnes and Gradey Dick as well as a new head coach.