Not all teammates are able to build a rapport with one another. I mean, just look at how Draymond Green acted with Jordan Poole; that's a prime example of how quickly team chemistry can take a massive hit.
Thankfully for the Toronto Raptors, even in the midst of some very gloomy season outcomes, the roster members have largely maintained good spirits among each other.
Sure, can I think of a couple of disagreements or teammates getting lost in the heat of the moment?
Most definitely.
I remember when people thought that Scottie Barnes had a bad relationship with the vets like Thad Young and Fred VanVleet. But knowing the happy-go-lucky nature of Barnes, it’s hard to imagine him making many enemies in the league; I mean, what's not to like?
One thing you can bet you'll find Barnes doing in his free time is going live on Twitch to chat with his fanbase or with viewers who want to see what he's up to. As I mentioned recently in another piece, the Raptors have a lot of free time on their hands after missing the playoffs, as evidenced by Barnes and Mogbo's recent vacation in the Philippines.
On a recent Twitch livestream, Barnes talked about his former teammate Davion Mitchell, who was traded to the Miami Heat at this year's trade deadline. You may recall that Mitchell had already established himself as a defensive force with the Raptors, but after his trade to Miami, the man known as "Off-Night" proved he could score at an effective rate as well.
Scottie Barnes praises ex-Raptors teammate Davion Mitchell
This is what Barnes had to say about Mitchell:
"It's good to see Davion [Mitchell] balling out. Yeah man. Davion, he was doing good when he was in Toronto. He's really, I think he's really, shocked the world. Or, maybe a lot more people gave him a lot more notice when he got on the Heat. I'm proud of him. He's been shooting the ball really well, locking up. That's what he's always done, played defense. But he's been shooting the three-ball really well, and playmaking, creating for others. I'm happy to see him do that. Excel over there and have more people on notice. I think he's really been making a stamp for himself this year, you know what he can do. So, I'm proud to see that for him. "Scottie Barnes via Twitch
It just goes to show that even when the NBA as a business has to separate players from one another, the brotherhood among the guys remains intact, even if their time playing together was relatively short.
I think it’s pretty clear that Mitchell's strong performance in his contract year will earn him a decent, lengthy extension, whether he continues with the unpredictable Miami Heat or finds a new team.