Jerome Williams believes Scottie Barnes is a 'Junkyard Dog'

Former Raptor Jerome Williams shares his thoughts on Scottie Barnes, and why he believes he's a special player. Listen to the full interview on the ‘Raptors Over Everything’ podcast feed or watch on our Yahoo Sports Canada YouTube page.

Video Transcript

BEN CARLOS: Who on the current Raptors do you feel best exemplifies what it means to be a junkyard dog? I know you said Pascal Siakam in the past. But with this new team, I was wondering if there's anyone on the current roster that fits that mold.

JEROME WILLIAMS: Man, that new rookie we have--

BEN CARLOS: Scottie Barnes?

JEROME WILLIAMS: Man, Mr. Barnes.

BEN CARLOS: That's what I was thinking too.

JEROME WILLIAMS: Like he really epitomizes junkyard dog action. Scottie, he's got some game.

And I mean, I went and watched him out here in Vegas during the summer league. We had-- I had to have a chat with Mr. Barnes after the game. I told him, I said, if you can continue this type of play and this type of tenacity-- he was picking up full court. I loved it. Like he was doing some junkyard dog action work.

And his defense is linked. The way he runs the floor, the way he was getting the ball to his teammates, definitely reminded me of myself and being that like-- sort of like that unknown underdog. Like he's not heralded. He's not a guy that people are like, oh, you know, Scottie Barnes, Scottie Barnes. But then when you get out there and you start looking up at the board and you see rebounds, assists, points, he's all over the place, he's all over the court. He can play.

BEN CARLOS: And the biggest thing too I've noticed, aside from his game, is that, you know, his energy, right? After his teammates will do like some kind of play, he'll be the one like clapping and screaming and getting them all pumped up. And then in my mind I'm just thinking, you know what, it's like-- it's almost like he's barking, you know?

JEROME WILLIAMS: Yeah, yeah, you got to put the bark. I mean, after the game, he's back in the back, he's dancing. So I started doing some dances with him. I started shaking a little bit like, I like your flow, man!

Yeah, we got to give him a dog town nickname. He gotta get something [INAUDIBLE] up, man. Scottie Barnes dog pound. You know, dog Scottie or something. [LAUGHS]