We don’t know the extent of the bad news with Scottie Barnes and his right eye, which got the wrong end of an errant Nikola Jokić elbow on Monday night, but we know he’ll at minimum be out for Wednesday’s tilt against fellow East top-of-the-bottom feeder Charlotte.
You know me, I love a positive spin as much as anyone. But I’m fresh out on this one. It sucks Barnes is hurt again; the victim rotten freak injury luck in two of his last five games played.
Barnes hasn’t been perfect out of the gate, but he’s been darn effective over his last three outings, blending brutish self-creation with organizing set-up work for a team in desperate need of an offensive center of gravity with Immanuel Quickley still out, all the while creating events aplenty on the defensive end. If he’s going to miss extended time, it puts the good vibes spawned during this plucky start in some level of jeopardy.
There will still be the exciting future flashes from the likes of Jamal Shead, Jonathan Mogbo and Jamison Battle. Ochai Agbaji’s evolution into RJ Barrett lite may still continue. A Quickley return in the coming days could help stem the tide and give the Raptors enough juice to score wins against lesser opponents. But without Barnes’ two-way work, you can probably put to bed any ideas of trading blows with some of the league’s best and staving off an early tumble up the lottery standings.
I’m probably spiraling a little bit here. This could very well be a short absence. Dr. Ali Rendely, who’s a great follow for injury-related matters in these parts, outlined her initial impressions of Barnes’ injury on The Bad Website yesterday.
Based on how hard/quickly he went down, concern for an orbital bone fracture. Timeline would depend on severity. If not surgical, could return as early as this weekend. With surgery, could be 3-4 weeks. Injury to the eye also possible & could include scratch, bleeding or rupture. https://t.co/TZFMmwWqjb
— Ali Rendely, MD (@alirendely) October 30, 2024
Obviously, you hope a weekend return is in the cards.
This team, outgunned as they may still be, is a bucket of fun and in the midst laying down the foundation of something more serious. The three games following the opening night debacle against Cleveland have spurred hope for a more compelling year than expected. And most importantly, we’re finally getting a look at what a sensibly built, healthy Scottie Barnes-led team is capable of. Even though it feels like eons since the Pascal Siakam trade, we’re still no more than 20 games into earnestly gathering info on Scottie’s chops as a leading man, how the other guys around him fit, and what other reinforcements he might need as he enters his rookie max extension.
As much as these last few games have been entertaining, they’ve been equally valuable, each one clearing fog from the path ahead for the rebuilding Raptors. This team’s had more than its share of nights hunkered down on the road waiting for a stiff wind to clear the way. Another delay after such a short and promising re-ignition would be the most unfortunate to date.
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Today on the podcast, Katie Heindl from this very newsletter returns to the show to talk about the Barnes injury news, Ochai Agbaji getting his 4th-year option picked up, and the promise of the first week of the season. Enjoy the show!
