Sean Woodley here, the host of the daily Locked On Raptors podcast, with your daily Locked On Raptors newsletter. Each day we bring you the biggest stories about the Raptors and the NBA, including the hottest links to other stories you need to read. Plus, Josh Lloyd delivers daily fantasy notes to crush your league.
Scottie Barnes is hurt. Can the Raptors weather it?
Oct 28, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (4) reacts after a collision with Denver Nuggets forward Peyton Watson (8) during the second half at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images|John E. Sokolowski/John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
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
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!
San Antonio Spurs forward Rudy Gay (22) drives to the basket against New Orleans Pelicans guard Lonzo Ball (2) during the second half at the Smoothie King Center|Photo by Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
You forget how high he could get. You shouldn’t, because he was in the 2008 Dunk Contest, catching mid-air bounces off the side of the stanchion from teammate (Grizzlies) Kyle Lowry and swinging the ball under the backboard, switching it between left and right hand, and windmilling it in on the first try. He got up there in regular games too, peppering his play with one-handed tomahawk dunks, slams with two hands out, true and benevolent to the basket like he was giving communion. He made many a reverse layup, his body understanding what to do when it got airborne; he pogoed up to meet lobs and erratic passes from teammates to redirect the ball deftly and from above into the basket, usually landing and turning coolly to walk lightly down the floor, mouthguard dangling.
Rudy Gay announced his retirement yesterday, a surprise to me. The Warriors waved him at the end of September and though there was no chatter after that to where he might go, the athletes who quietly persist you come to believe will go on quietly persisting.
Growing up in Baltimore, Gay was an early phenom. On the local competitive circuit he came up against Carmelo Anthony — three years his senior — and Lowry as early as middle school. Gay was named an All-American and so closely contested for by UConn and the University of Maryland that once he declared for UConn, the NCAA adopted a new scheduling rule in the wake of Connecticut paying $25,000 to schedule a game against a Baltimore AAU team with some of Gay’s former teammates.
The fanfare followed Gay through two years of college and he admits he came into the league cocky (to be fair, Gay was third in NBA Rookie of the Year voting, after Brandon Roy and Andrea Bargnani, both who he outlasted). It was Damon Stoudamire, then with the Grizzlies, who told him to watch and learn. The alchemy of bravado in basketball is a tricky thing because on one hand it’s wholly necessary as a component for success, in a league full of similarly if not more gifted and talented people. On the other, much like winning a championship, timing is everything.
Katie Heindl is a credentialed NBA and WNBA writer, her bylines have appeared with The New York Times Magazine, SLAM, The Athletic, Yahoo Sports, Dime, Rolling Stone, among others. She writes the bestselling Substack, Basketball Feelings and is working on a book of the same name.
Home and Away
Preview
Sports Illustrated analysts all have one thing in common with their score predictions for tonight: The Hornets will come out on top. (Charlotte Hornets on SI)
Fans
What’s the cost of attending a Raptors game this season? Unfortunately for fans — it’s above the NBA average when it comes to the cheapest ticket costs, parking, beers, hot dogs, and sodas.
Fantasy Basketball Impact Of The Warriors Lineup Changes
Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) drives past New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) in the second quarter at the Chase Center.
|Photo by Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
The NBA action on Tuesday brought significant developments that could impact fantasy basketball strategies. Here’s a detailed look at the major lineup changes, injury updates, and standout performances.
Atlanta Hawks’ Injury Crisis
The Hawks are in a tough spot with a slew of injuries affecting their guard rotation. Bogdan Bogdanovic is out for at least four weeks due to hamstring surgery, while Vít Krejčí and Dyson Daniels are also sidelined with injuries. This leaves Trae Young as the primary guard, with De’Andre Hunter and Zaccharie Risachere potentially stepping into unfamiliar roles. Fantasy managers should consider dropping Bogdanovic unless they have an injured reserve spot.
Kyle Kuzma’s Groin Strain
Kyle Kuzma’s injury situation with the Washington Wizards is concerning. Initially thought to be minor, the groin strain could sideline him for several weeks. This opens up opportunities for players like Bilal Coulibaly and Corey Kispert to see increased minutes and production. Keep an eye on these players as potential pickups in your fantasy league.
Click the button below to get the fantasy impacts of the Jazz’s lineup shakeup and a new potential Warriors star.
Don’t let these episodes pass you by — stay locked in with the latest Locked On Raptors podcasts.
Tuesday — Raptors fall to Nuggets in OT thriller; no moral victories, but it’s a loss you can live with Sean goes solo to talk about the Raptors 127-125 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Monday night, why it’s the type of loss you can live with, the Young Team Stuff that cost the Raptors down the stretch, and The Good, The Bad and The Hmm from one of the most fun Raptors games in quite some time.
Monday — Recapping the Raptors’ encouraging weekend split vs. the Sixers and Wolves Sean is joined by Vivek Jacob (Raptors in 7, Sportsnet) to talk about the Raptors going 1-1 against the Sixers and Wolves, their takeaways on Toronto’s exciting rookie crop and Gradey Dick, and their Good, Bad & Hmmm from the pair of games.
Friday — The Debut of Toxic Positivity Friday with Esfandiar Baraheni Sean is joined by Es Baraheni of the Athletic NBA Daily to debut a new weekly feature of the show: Toxic Positivity Friday, where we put up the blinders to all the bad and talk only about the things in Toronto Raptors basketball that are making us feel good. Really excited for this one each week.
