Scottie Barnes was completely lit up after the Blue Jays won the ALCS
The The Toronto Raptors are righteous day from the start of the 2025-26 NBA season on the road against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday evening. The Raptors are hoping to bounce back from last year Scottie Barneswho regressed slightly in 2024-25 and saw his team miss the postseason entirely.
Most recently, the Raptors watched their cross-town neighbors, MLB’s Toronto Blue Jays, sweep the Seattle Mariners in Game 7 of the ALCS to advance to the World Series, where they will face the Los Angeles Dodgers beginning Friday night.
Barnes and some of his Raptors teammates attended Monday night’s series-clinching game, and after the victory became final, Barnes recorded video about yourself screaming at the top of her voice from her seat.
“C’mon Blue Jays, World Series baby! Let’s get it,” Barnes said, via the Raptors’ official team account on X, formerly Twitter.
VE WANT IT ALL BABY LES GOOO @BlueJays pic.twitter.com/Ol2Ikzi7kt
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) October 21, 2025
Barnes was joined in the box by Raptors guard Grady Dick, who is entering his third year in the NBA and hopes to build on some of the progress he made a season ago.
Can the Raptors compete?
The Raptors are not seen by many as a legitimate contender heading into this season, but many experts predict that they will take at least a small step forward this year.
At last year’s trade deadline, the Raptors acquired forward Brandon Ingram from the New Orleans Pelicans, although he was unable to appear in the game as he recovered from an injury. However, he signed an extension with the team and, assuming health, should be a key offensive weapon for a Toronto team that was sorely lacking in that department a year ago.
If Ingram can stay on the court and Barnes can continue his rise, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that the Raptors can at least compete for a playoff spot this year given the current weak state of the Eastern Conference.
Toronto and Atlanta will square off on Wednesday at 7:30 PM ET.
2025-10-21 17:01:00
