This isn’t good news, but it looked like it could have been much worse when it happened.
Monday night, Raptors leading scorer Scottie Barnes went up to try and block a Karl-Anthony Towns shot at the rim and KAT came down on Barnes’ foot. Barnes instantly went to the ground and was in obvious pain, he could be seen on the broadcast saying “I can’t feel my foot,” and he had to be helped off the court. He did not return to the game. On Tuesday, he was reportedly seen at the team facility in a walking boot.
Wednesday the team announced that Barnes suffered a sprained right ankle and will be re-evaluated in one week. Earlier in the day, Shams Charania of ESPN reported Barnes was expected to miss “several weeks” with the injury.
Even several weeks is better than it looked like that night.
Losing Barnes is a setback for the already struggling Raptors (7-18, 14th in the East), although this is not a catastrophe for a team more focused on the draft than making the postseason at this point. Barnes has been playing at an All-Star level and is the primary catalyst of their offense, averaging 20.6 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 7.4 assists a night. The Raptors are +4.1 better with Barnes on the court this season (stat via Cleaning the Glass).
While there is no timeline, don’t expect the Raptors to rush him back.
