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Scottie Barnes on being selective in pursuing his offence

Raptors forward Scottie Barnes discusses his offensive burst vs. the Bucks, when he chooses to look for his future own scoring opportunities,
why Svi Mykhailiuk meshed so well with his teammates in Toronto and more.

Video Transcript

REPORTER: What have you taken from the last two games in the way defenses have defended you?

SCOTTIE BARNES: Just adjusting to the defense. Second half, trying to just spreading into ball screens, do hand offs, try to get other people open, but also trying to be aggressive at times to be able to try to go downhill attack and score, catch them off guard, give a different look at different times of the game. So just trying to feel out the game and taking it the right way through, like I said, setting screens and being able to win. I want to be aggressive and try to take those shots.

REPORTER: How do you balance those two things, like being aggressive while also facilitating playmaking for others when they're dropping away from you?

SCOTTIE BARNES: Like I said, trying to just really catch them off guard, I feel like. When I'm coming off-- when I'm handing the ball off, getting other people open, I feel like sometimes I got to step up. We're getting good looks. Sometimes we miss them, but they're mostly good looks. Freeing the guards up for wide-open shots either from three or the mid-range.

But then. Like I'm saying, going down in transition, trying to have those good looks. And then just in a halfcourt offense when things are not there, faking off the DHO, trying to go to the basket.

REPORTER: Fred made a comment the other day that sometimes when teams are daring you to take a shot, just anyone. You're like-- players are like, I don't want to take the shot that they want me to shoot. Is that something that you're thinking about?

SCOTTIE BARNES: Oh, for sure. I feel like I'm going to play the game at my pace, and I can be able to read and react to the game. So not trying to take their shots that they want me to take, but take them when I want to take them. But just trying to be able to run the offense and have great ball movement as well.

REPORTER: Is that a defense you've seen before, like in college or high school or anything?

SCOTTIE BARNES: Not in college or high school or AAU, Naw. But when I-- I would say, last year, they did that some. So just trying to figure out and adjust to it. I feel like I'm figuring out and adjusting to it well. I'm going to play it, and I'm just going to keep playing it the way I can be able to read and react to it.

REPORTER: When you're [INAUDIBLE] going to the basket, and the instance that you do get the ball, what is going through your mind? What are you trying to absorb from the defense to find out what is going to be your next move in terms of passing, shooting, [INAUDIBLE]?

SCOTTIE BARNES: I would say it depends on the time and situation that's on the clock. Most of the time when I catch the pop, it depends on what I see. If I see the floor space, if I want to go right into the next action, try to get more ball screen more movement. It depends on how the game is flowing. Just try to set a pace early and throughout the game of how we want the ball moving back and forth.

So if I get the pop, go to the other side, roll. It just depends on the pace of the game and how we want it to be.

REPORTER: How have you developed your ability to do those one-hand, cross-court passes? Has that been something that you've had for a while? Because being able to do that at the NBA level and putting it on the tape is fairly hard. And you've had some success doing that with OG, Gary, and [INAUDIBLE] It's just like zip pass right across the court on the money. [INAUDIBLE]

SCOTTIE BARNES: I wouldn't say it's that hard. I'd just say, I see somebody open, and I just pass it, try to get it there on time right in the shooting pocket. So when I see something that's open, that's what I really just try to do. Whenever a team helps that I'm driving, boom, just see the wide-open man and just try to pass it to him.

REPORTER: You mentioned situations where you're not sure if-- or you are sure, but you're thinking about clock management, game management, what's happening at that point because [INAUDIBLE] how does that factor into you being aggressive on the offensive end? Because you want to get everyone involved but some points, especially in that Bucs game, they are daring you to shoot. They want to see you score. And then you have to stretch like fourth quarter overtime when you do kind of just turn it on. How do you balance those two things? Is that something that you're trying to figure out?

SCOTTIE BARNES: I would say that was-- I would say that was a different situation. Being able to just go in the fourth quarter and being able to be aggressive, I feel like that's me being waiting too long. Waiting over three quarters to not be aggressive, I feel like that's a different situation. I feel like I just got to be able to attack that one differently, for sure. But if they're daring me to take shots, it's just still trying to get ball movement, find better floor spacing, trying to move it side to side.

But still got to try to be able to take those aggressive looks and be able to go downhill, catch the defense off guard, and things like that.

REPORTER: Scottie, what stands out to you about the Knicks?

SCOTTIE BARNES: The Knicks? I feel like they're a strong, physical team. They have a knack about them where they try to out physical other opponents. They have really tough team, people that can really score the ball. They have some shooters out there on the floor, and they play defense.

REPORTER: And then Pascal, [INAUDIBLE] last time you played. But kind of what's the approach is? Do you think Pascal is going to have a great game or is this going to be more like collaborative in terms of just [INAUDIBLE]

SCOTTIE BARNES: I'm sure that they're going to-- their team will probably try to do something to really try to take those looks away. It's the NBA, every game is different. Every team is going to try to make it different from the other night, if something didn't go right that way. So I'm sure they're going to do something to try to make it look different, but you never know what's going to happen.

He might go crazy again. We'll see, but we're just trying to do what we can do to try to win this game.

REPORTER: Would you vote for him for the all-stars?

SCOTTIE BARNES: Yeah, for sure. Pascal's an all-star, for sure.

REPORTER: Why do you think he is all-star worthy?

SCOTTIE BARNES: The way he's been killing in the league, his presence on the floor, how he's been great on both ends, being able to be-- we see what he does on the floor each and every single night. He's really special.

REPORTER: I'm sure if you had a lot of interaction with him last year, but what was Svi like as a teammate?

SCOTTIE BARNES: Svi?

REPORTER: Yeah.

SCOTTIE BARNES: Svi was a cool guy, you know, down-to-earth guy. He has a-- he has a cool personality about himself. I won't know how I would say this about him. I don't know if I can say it on camera, but--

REPORTER: You could try.

SCOTTIE BARNES: --he has a-- he has a good personality where he knows how to blend in with our-- with our mix of group, you know? I don't know.

[LAUGHTER]

REPORTER: That's it. What's your favorite Subway sub?

SCOTTIE BARNES: Huh?

REPORTER: What's your favorite Subway sub?

SCOTTIE BARNES: My favorite Subway sub, there's a lot of different things on it. I usually have someone take my order for me. But it's like-- it's like bell peppers, lettuce, tomatoes, like mayo. There's a lot of stuff. I put like eight or nine different things on my Subway sub.

REPORTER: But, like, what's the-- what's the substance? There's the chicken, bacon, ranch. I love that one.

SCOTTIE BARNES: Oh, no. I get like a cold cut.

REPORTER: Cold cut, yeah.

SCOTTIE BARNES: Yeah.

REPORTER: Classic.

SCOTTIE BARNES: Yeah.

REPORTER: Have you treated your teammates to subs?

SCOTTIE BARNES: No. I don't know what they eat, how their diet is, so, you know, I'm not trying to push their diet on the way they eat.

REPORTER: That's a good teammate.

SCOTTIE BARNES: Yeah.

REPORTER: Is that your pre-game meal, a Subway cold cut sub?

SCOTTIE BARNES: I won't say it's my pre-game meal, but eat subway. Eat fresh, refresh, for sure.

REPORTER: Thank you. You get paid for that.

SCOTTIE BARNES: I love you, Subway.