The Toronto Raptors will be without All-Star forward Scottie Barnes for several weeks, as he’ll be sidelined with an ankle sprain, per ESPN. Barnes sustained the injury in Toronto’s 113-108 loss to the Knicks on Monday, from which he left early.
The injury happened in the third quarter, when Barnes attempted to block a shot by Karl-Anthony Towns in the paint. He landed awkwardly on Towns’ foot and immediately fell to the ground and grabbed at that right foot/ankle area.
Barnes could be seen saying “oh my god” repeatedly as he grabbed at the injured area, and when the Raptors medical staff came over he seemingly tells them “I can’t feel my foot.” Barnes needed help to get up off the floor, then hopped back to the locker room, clearly unable to put any weight on his left foot. He was later ruled out for the remainder of the game with a right ankle sprain.
After the game, Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said the initial X-rays on Barnes’ ankle were negative, and that the team would give a more solid update in the coming days. Now we know that Barnes will be out for several weeks, it’s a tough blow for a Toronto team that has had some bright spots this season.
“I never question why this happens,” Rajakovic said of Barnes’ injury. “Those types of injuries, they’re out of our control, and I’m not questioning anything there. We just have to go through it and it’s one more.”
It’s a massive loss for the Raptors, who at the time of Barnes’ injury were leading the Knicks 73-68. Up to that point, Barnes had 15 points, five rebounds and three assists on 5 of 11 from the field. He was putting up another efficient performance, and the Raptors likely would’ve had a real shot at beating the Knicks had he not gone down.
The injury is another setback for Barnes, who previously missed 11 games this season with a fractured orbital bone, and we saw how poorly the Raptors managed without him during that stretch. Toronto went just 2-9 without Barnes that time, and if he’s going to be out several more weeks, that doesn’t exactly bode well for their outlook.
With Barnes out, that means RJ Barrett will have to step into the role as lead scorer once again, something he’s had no issue doing this season. Barrett is averaging a career-high 23.6 points a game, to go along with 6.6 rebounds and 5.8 assists. It hasn’t resulted in a ton of wins for the Raptors, but he’s been shining as the No. 1 option for the Raptors with Barnes in and out of the lineup.
This is a rebuilding year for the Raptors, as they own the second-worst record in the East, but Barnes being sidelined stifles the chemistry and development this team hopes to build with its young core.
