Raptors' Scottie Barnes: 'I can play any position'

The reigning Rookie of the Year discusses his goals for the season, what position he plays, how he developed during the offseason and more. Check out all of the Raptors media day availabilities on our YouTube channel.

Video Transcript

- Hey, Scottie, Lindsay from-- front row over here. Lindsay, "CityNews." First of all, how was your summer? It seemed like it was the Scottie Barnes summer.

SCOTTIE BARNES: Summer was amazing. I feel like I got a lot of great work in. Between working out with my trainers and working out with the coaches, it was a great summer.

- After such a great rookie season, what kind of expectations and goals do you have for yourself going into this season?

SCOTTIE BARNES: I would say some of the expectations and goals is just-- my first goal is probably just continue to just keep striving for success, trying to keep winning, keep trying to fight, try to win this championship. But I would say some individual goals is just really just trying to take it to the next level with trying to make Defensive Teams, All-Stars, and so on.

MICHAEL GRANGE: Michael Grange with Sportsnet. Hey, Scottie. Was there a point in the offseason where you kind of stopped and looked at your first six or seven months of pro basketball and really thought, what went well, what you needed to do better? Was there something when you thought about it, if you did, that in the end kind of surprised you? And how much better prepared are you for your second season?

SCOTTIE BARNES: I wasn't-- I would probably say I was really looking more towards, like, the future, trying to get ready for year two, working on different things in my game that I can just try to get better-- different pull-up techniques and different things like that, different footwork, continue to just keep trying to work and grow my body. So I would say those were, like, the things I was really trying to work on this summer.

MICHAEL GRANGE: When you look back on it, how was it just to-- [INAUDIBLE] give yourself a chance to go, that was better than I thought, or easier than I thought?

SCOTTIE BARNES: I didn't really have no expectations, really, going into it. I just go into the situation just being me, taking it one game at a time, just trying to win. And then everything that came with winning just really came with it-- trying to play hard and win basketball games.

AARON ROSE: Hey, Scottie, Aaron Rose from si.com. Nick talked about seeing yourself as a point guard. Do you see yourself as a point guard? And how do you feel your role will develop this season in that position?

SCOTTIE BARNES: I've always been a point guard. You know, I always had those point guard's things. But I feel like I'm-- I could do it all, no matter what it is. I can play any position, so I don't really try to limit myself to one position.

But I've always been seeing myself as a point guard. I feel like that's why I went to Florida State. They gave me that promise that I was going to be the point guard of that team. So that's why I went to Florida State. And that was really one of the main reasons why I went there.

So I feel like I always saw myself as a point guard. But I always see myself as I can play any position. So it doesn't really matter what position it is. I play it all.

OREN WEISFELD: Hey, Scottie, Oren Weisfeld, Yahoo Sports Canada. Tell us about the Scottie Barnes Scholarship, and why you felt it was important to kind of do something in Toronto and establish some roots here off the court?

SCOTTIE BARNES: Be able to give back to the community in some way possible, I felt like that was one of the main things that I really went into that deal was because-- try to give back to the community. I feel like it's important to be able to do other things in life. I feel like that's a very great thing to be able to do.

We need those people that's going to be able to build houses and put things together. So that was an important thing. When I went to that organization and that group, it was just an immediate thing that just really caught attention to me.

- Scottie, Adam over here from "Daily Hive." There's been a lot of young players in this league that have made a big jump in their second year. You can look at LaMelo Ball, Trae Young, Luka, et cetera. When you see those guys make that kind of jump, what does that mean to you? And how do you feel like your second year jump will be?

SCOTTIE BARNES: I would say I feel like I'm going to make the jump by-- I'm just going to be who I am on the floor, [INAUDIBLE] most of the time. So I'm not really overthinking. I know what I can do on the floor and how I impact the game on both ends of the floor.

I know I can play defense at a really high level. So really, just try to take that next step there. And then I know what I can do on offense, but keep trying to add things into my game.

So I feel like that's what's just going to take me to that next step-- keep adding things to my game. And I know what I can really do on the defensive end.

RYAN WOLSTAT: Hey, Scottie. Right here. Ryan Wolstat, "Toronto Sun." Nick said one of the things they're going to try to do is get Fred playing fewer minutes. You were talking about point guard, that sort of thing. How can you help lessen his workload, and keep his minutes down, and just take the load off him?

SCOTTIE BARNES: I feel like even me watching Fred as a point guard, and how he uses his voice so well to communicate to his teammates, I see that. And he pushes me on the floor when I'm playing with him to try to use my voice more, to see me try to start off the sets, and see what plays to run. So he pushes me to be able to go into that role, to help me just be more confident on the floor so I know what I'm doing. So he pushes me to know all the plays, and go with each other's tendencies, and try to run the offense.

ERIC KOREEN: Hey, Eric Koreen from "The Athletic." Good to see you, Scottie. I know your playoff series was obviously interrupted by an injury. With the time you were on the floor, what did it teach you about that level of play? And how did it inform your offseason work?

SCOTTIE BARNES: Repeat it one more time?

ERIC KOREEN: What did you learn from, I guess, the extra intensity with the playoffs? And how did it inform what you wanted to do this offseason?

SCOTTIE BARNES: I feel like it was a-- I feel like I used that as a huge motivation. I felt like we saw what we can do as a team as well throughout those-- that series, and how far-- we know we can go further than that and push ourselves more. But I see the level of competition, and it takes it to a whole different level. The occasion does, obviously, rise to a bigger level. And you can really just see that difference, the regular season and that postseason.

For me, as year one, seeing that, you know it really takes a different mentality. It takes a different level of competitiveness.

- Scottie, last question [INAUDIBLE].

- Hey, Scottie. How are you doing? [INAUDIBLE] from theScore. Going through last year, obviously having a very successful rookie season, what are some challenges, or what do you think an area of challenge is for you going forward into next season?

SCOTTIE BARNES: I would say an area of challenge for me, see how I can just get better, how I'mma take it to the next level this season, how we as a team are going to take it to the next level this season. Me just being able to be-- showing the work that I've really put in this summer with shooting the ball, just really try to take that to the next level, to show my shot making, how I am getting better on the catch and shoot, and just really just take it different levels.

- Thanks very much, Scottie.