Scottie Barnes Proved To Be An Elite Level Troll After Crashing A Live News Segment While Eating His Lunch

Jason Miller. Getty Images.

I think it's safe to say the vibes are pretty goddamn high for the Toronto Raptors and their fans as we enter a new NBA season. Aside from the fact that they were already on an upward trajectory after upping their win total by 16 games from the previous season (46 total) and making the playoffs for the first time since 2021-22, they also pulled off perhaps one of the biggest trades of the entire summer by bringing back Kawhi Leonard. Add in the fact that Kawhi didn't face any sort of suspension by the league and then immediately signed a 2/$115M extension (a $10M discount), it's no surprise everyone around that team is loving life right now. There's a strong case that barring any sort of disastrous health situation, the Raptors could leap into being a top 4 team in the East this season.

And if you needed any further example of how good the vibes are with the Raptors right now, let's have a quick look at what Scottie Barnes is up to these days

Listen, funny is funny. Why was Scottie Barnes standing there eating his lunch? Who knows. I have to imagine he was aware of what was going on, and the second he heard his name, it was on

I'd say his reactions to hearing about the Kawhi extension were pretty much how every Raptor/Raptor fan felt, and to me this is a great example of how to have some fun and troll while also not being a gigantic asshole. If we're being honest, the most impressive thing about that whole clip may be how the reporter didn't miss a beat. That's a real pro. No laughing, he rolled with the punches right at the start and never broke character for the whole segment. I consider that elite-level focus. You see clips all the time of reporters getting thrown for a loop when people mess with their hits, but not here. I don't know what that means for the Raptors upcoming season, but I'm thinking it's a good sign. Everyone around the organization is locked in, including the media.

When it comes to Scottie Barnes, I can't wait to see how he does this season. I do think people sleep on Barnes a little bit because he never really took a jump as a scorer these last few years. He's floated around 18-19 a game and he can't really shoot threes, so I feel like people overlook his impact. I'd argue his role was never to be that #1 high usage scoring option, and now that Kawhi is back in the building, we get to see what happens with Barnes playing next to that #1 offensive option where now defenses are going to have bigger things to worry about. Let's not forget, he's one of the best and most versatile defenders in the league (2nd Team All Defense) and is just 25

and I will say his offense did take a bit of a leap in the playoffs last year (24/6/8 on 50/38% splits), so I do think there are areas of his game offensively that can improve now that defenses are going to have to key in on Kawhi. He may not be a 38% 3P shooter over the course of 82 games, but if he can make a jump from 30% last year to around 33-34% this year? That's not crazy in my opinion. I do think if the Raptors are going to ascend like many think they will, another leap by Barnes will be a big reason why, especially since you can never bank on Kawhi being available. He's now entering the age range where most players start to enter their early NBA prime years, so I wouldn't be surprised if Barnes found his way onto an All NBA Team should the Raptors have a strong season. 

For now, we can say with certainty that Barnes is an elite-level troll. Next, he'll have the opportunity to prove that he's also an elite-level #2 option who can also have stretches as a #1 that carry lineups when Kawhi sits. They have the talent, they have the coaching, so it'll be fascinating to see how it plays out.