Raptors’ Injury Woes Deepen: Scottie Barnes’ Replacement Raises Concerns Before Hornets Showdown

During Friday’s game against the Golden State Warriors, Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes had to exit the locker room early. Barnes left the court nursing a left-hand injury sustained while trying to block a layup by Jonathan Kuminga. The incident occurred when Immanuel Quickley inadvertently kicked Barnes’ hand. After the detrimental wound, the 2024 All-Star was ruled out indefinitely.

This cast a huge shadow on the Raptor’s already dismal season. However, deepening the Scottie Barnes wound, a recent update deemed the availability of his replacement Bruce Brown Jr as questionable, as Toronto gears up to face the Charlotte Hornets tonight.

‘Ryan Wolstat’ added a tweet on X that said, “Raptors say now a potential starting lineup replacement for Barnes, Bruce Brown, is questionable for tonight.”

The Toronto Raptors have included the 27-year-old guard on the injury report due to inflammation in his right knee. This marks the first instance he’s appeared on the injury report with this particular issue since joining the team earlier this year.

The Scottie Brown-shaped hole was already huge for the Toronto Raptors. The All-Star was the best finisher for the team and also contributed whenever he could on the defensive end. Brown’s probable absence from the court will further diminish their chances of making any dents this season. In fact, this is probably the end of their playoff run in the 2024 season.

The fallout of Toronto after the Scottie Barnes injury

The Toronto Raptors are yet to play 22 games this season. However, that is also the number of games they have won this season out of their 60 appearances, making them the fourth-worst in the East. Scottie Barnes was the saving grace of Toronto in every sense of the word, and Indiana traded Bruce Brown was also very valuable for the team.

With Brown possibly out of the picture now, Toronto’s backcourt depth will take a big jolt. If he’s unable to play,  the Raptors would be relying on Jordan Nwora, Javon Freeman-Liberty, or DJ Carton coming off the bench. Freeman-Liberty, who recently secured a standard contract, offers versatility as a combo guard off the bench.

It hasn’t been determined so far if Scottie Barnes will be needing surgery. However, even if he does not, missing a few games out of whatever is left is already detrimental for the Toronto Raptors. Hence, the management will not try to speed up his recovery and push him back on the court to save their sinking ship. The team will now use its remaining games to test the potential of its roster and try to polish some role players. Will Barnes be able to regroup with the Raptors next season and lead them to win another ring? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Read More: Raports Injury Report: Worrying Update on Scottie Barnes Emerges as Confusion Clouds Toronto