Raptors get bad news on Scottie Barnes injury status
The Toronto Raptors will be without their best player for a significant stretch moving forward.
Scottie Barnes has suffered a right orbital fracture, the team revealed.
“Barnes will be reevaluated in three weeks, and his condition will be updated as appropriate,” the Raptors said in a press release.
The 23-year-old suffered the injury during Monday’s game versus the Denver Nuggets after taking an elbow to the eye from centre Nikola Jokic. He remained down on the court and was immediately subbed out at the next whistle.
Jokic with the elbow on Scottie Barnes pic.twitter.com/6AR8cBNVBO
— Tedd Buddwell šš (@TedBuddy8) October 29, 2024
Once the game ended, Jokic had some high praise for Barnes, not realizing at the time that he had suffered a significant injury.
“He’s a really big tall guy who can handle the ball and who is seeking for mismatches,” Jokic said. “He can put the ball downhill. He finds open teammates and he can post up. He can play on the nail, he can ISO. He’s a really good player.”
It’s an extremely unfortunate injury for Barnes, who was in a great position to have a huge year in what is his fourth NBA season. The 2023-24 campaign saw him average 19.9 points through 60 games before suffering a season-ending hand injury.
Prior to this injury, Barnes was averaging 19.3 points per game. He was also given the team’s victory chain after the Raptors’ win against the Philadelphia 76ers last Friday, a game in which he had a team-high 27 points along with five rebounds and four assists.
The silver lining for Raptors fans is that another one of the organization’s top players, RJ Barrett, made his season debut on Monday night. Coming off a shoulder injury, he scored 20 points.
The Raptors, who have started the season off 1-3, are back in action tonight versus the Orlando Magic. The two sides will kick things off at 7 pm ET.
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