The Raptors will be without star forward Scottie Barnes for at least the next three weeks, the team announced today in a press release.
According to the release, Barnes has been diagnosed with a right orbital fracture after taking a Nikola Jokic elbow to the face late in Monday’s overtime loss to Denver (Twitter video link).
Barnes will be reevaluated in three weeks, so it’s possible he won’t be ready to return at that point and will remain on the shelf beyond that date.
As Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca tweets, even if Barnes is cleared to return after three weeks, he’ll miss at least Toronto’s next 11 games, including nine against teams who made the postseason last season. It will also be at least late November before he, Immanuel Quickley, and RJ Barrett, three of the Raptors’ core players, get the chance to play together, according to Lewenberg, who notes that the trio hasn’t shared the court since March 1.
Barnes, who signed a five-year, maximum-salary rookie scale extension with Toronto in July, was rounding into form after putting up just nine points on 3-of-14 shooting in last Wednesday’s opener. In his last three games, he had averaged 22.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 2.7 steals in 36.1 minutes per night, with a 53.1% field goal percentage.
Barnes’ injury is the latest in a long line of health issues for the Raptors this fall. The club has also been without Bruce Brown (right knee surgery), Kelly Olynyk (lumbar strain), and first-round pick Ja’Kobe Walter (AC joint sprain) for the entire season so far. Additionally, Quickley has been out since opening night with a right pelvic contusion and Barrett just made his season debut on Monday after being sidelined with a shoulder injury.
With Barnes unavailable, rookies Jamal Shead, Jonathan Mogbo, and Jamison Battle are among the candidates for increased roles, along with forward Chris Boucher.
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