‘Food tells a million different stories.’ New Raptor Aron Baynes arrives with hunger and a good heart

He’s an inquisitive fellow, Aron Baynes is.

The new Raptors centre is always interested in learning about new people and their life experiences, talking with them and listening to them, being among them whenever he can.

It won’t be the same this year — the pandemic and its impact on everyday life has assured that — and the thing Baynes is likely to miss the most is getting out for dinner.

It is food, the pursuit of interesting restaurants and experiences, that Baynes loves most about his travelling life, and being robbed of it for now robs him of a lot of fun.

“I love getting out and exploring a city, and the best way for me to do that is through food — going out and finding different little places,” the 34-year-old New Zealand-born, Australian-raised Baynes said in an interview this past week. “Whether it be a little hole in the wall or whether it be a James Beard winner, I love going out and seeing the food and the food culture.

“That’s the best way for me to learn about people. I think food tells a million different stories, and it tells the story of where people come from and what they value. I love learning different cultures through food.”

It’s not surprising to learn that Baynes has a bit of an adventurous streak given the peripatetic journey that’s landed him in Toronto. He grew up in Queensland, Australia, played college ball in the United States, then bounced around Lithuania, Germany, Greece and Slovenia before landing with the San Antonio Spurs in 2013. That was a perfect spot for him and his world view, with an organization that encourages players to expand their horizons and welcomes the experiences they bring.

“I think coming into San Antonio as my first stop in the NBA was a great learning experience,” Baynes said. “Pop (Spurs coach Gregg Popovich) is very good about basketball being what we do, but it doesn’t define us. It’s about learning about everybody else, it’s understanding more about the world, and there’s no better way than through these guys and where they come from.

“I’ve taken that on board, and I really do have a greater appreciation for that. Every time I get to go to a new team and play with guys from a new part of the world is fun. OG (Anunoby) from Britain and Alex (Len) from Ukraine and guys from all over the place, it’s interesting for me.”

On the court, Baynes is expected to give the Raptors a defensive presence, set bone-rattling screens for guards and take shots when they present themselves.

He’s not going to be Marc Gasol or Serge Ibaka, nor should anyone ask him to be. He needs to be steady, fill a role and be a part of a team rather than one of its focal points.

It’s a role the six-foot-10 centre has filled before in San Antonio, Boston and Phoenix and one that he’s growing into with Toronto, one that’s sure to make his teammates hold him in high regard.

“It looks good,” coach Nick Nurse said of the early returns on Baynes working with the rest of the Raptors’ starters. “Kyle (Lowry) likes bigs that screen and free him up, and Aron has been able to do that quite a bit, so looks to me like a pretty good chemistry developing there, you know? As you know, Baynes isn’t afraid of physicality, and Kyle likes to use guys who can do that. So, looks good.”

But perhaps his best “fit” will be as part of the culture the organization is proud of, and the social justice messaging it wants to promote.

Baynes, married to a Black woman and the father of two children, has been outspoken in the fight against racism and for equality, and his thoughts on that dovetail perfectly with the Raptors.

“I’m always there trying to do as much as I can to push for a greater world, push for my kids to live in a greater place than we grew up in … that’s what I’m fighting for every single day,” he said. “It always needs to be in the conversation … the Raptors as an organization have been so good about maintaining and continuing to talk about it. That’s something we’re going to keep pushing.

“Even (in) our first meeting as a group, it was put up there: continue pushing and making strides in the social justice reform.”

Those are some of the layers to Baynes the person as opposed to Baynes the athlete, and the simplest way to put it is: he seems prototypically Australian.

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Inquisitive, a guy who likes to have a good time and experience new things. Someone with some depth and life experience that gives him a well-rounded look at the world and his place in it.

“I try and represent Australia the best I can, and that’s by being as genuine as I can. I think that’s something most Aussies are good at, being genuine, that’s what I try and do,” he said.

“I enjoy having a good laugh. When I need to be serious, I am, but for the most part I’m pretty happy and try to stay happy as much as I can. If you put it out there, it’s going to come back. I try to put out good vibes as much as I can.”