Raptors' Fred VanVleet pushes back on Scottie Barnes concerns: 'There's not any young player I would trade him for'

Scottie Barnes hasn't gotten his sophomore season off to the start many expected.

After winning Rookie of the Year, much was made of the offseason work Barnes put in and how it was going to make him a "way better" player. The hype only continued when news broke that the Raptors wouldn't include him in trade talks for Kevin Durant and a group of NBA executives voted him as one of the young players they would most want to build around.

Entering Wednesday's matchup against the Heat, Barnes was averaging 13.4 points, 6.5 rebounds and 0.9 steals per game while shooting 43.2 percent from the field, numbers that were down from his rookie season. He was coming off of back-to-back games in which he failed to score in double figures.

The good news for the Raptors: Barnes looked more like himself against the Heat, finishing with 19 points, six rebounds and six assists.

Scottie Barnes beats the clock off one leg from beyond the arc 🚨

Heat/Raptors 2 mins remaining in Q1 on the NBA App
📲 https://t.co/1pomQZN8Pi pic.twitter.com/NVihYeMA83

— NBA (@NBA) November 17, 2022

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After the game, Fred VanVleet pushed back on the concerns about Barnes' start to the season and recent play.

"There's no message, man. You guys have fun on Twitter, that's about it," VanVleet said.

"Other than that, everybody goes through it. There's highs, there's lows, there's good games, there's bad games. He's finding his way. Just gotta continue to keep working and keep playing.

"Nobody around here is worried about him. We know how great of a player he is going to be. There's not any young player I would trade him for. The sky is the limit for him. Whether that's tomorrow or in a couple of years, we'll see. The rest is up to him and how much work he puts in and how he approaches the game.

"He'll be fine. It's just everyday banter when you gotta dissect every possession and every play. I didn't really even realize that was a narrative until I was sitting at home watching the Detroit game. It's a little overblown. He's gotta get to it obviously, you know, he can play better, we all know that. But as far as trying to make a conclusion about him as a player, I think it's pretty ridiculous."

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It sounds like VanVleet has shared a similar message with Barnes behind closed doors. Ditto for Pascal Siakam, who is currently sidelined with an injury.

"Them boys giving me the confidence when I'm out there on the floor," Barnes said of Toronto's stars. "I feel like that's a big thing. I feel like I really took that to heart. Them boys texting me, they're at home doing what they're trying to do to get better. They're at home telling me that. I feel like that's a big thing.

"[Thaddeus Young] telling me to keep being aggressive, keep the pressure on your shoulders. Everybody just giving me that confidence, from the coaches to the players. Having that support staff around me, I feel like that's helpful."

Barnes will look to build on his solid performance on Saturday when the Raptors travel to Atlanta to take on the Hawks, who are currently two spots ahead of them in the Eastern Conference standings.

Raptors schedule 2022-23

Toronto heads on the road for a meeting with Atlanta before having a significant break between games. Travel will be limited as they begin a three-game homestand on Nov. 23.