Nick Nurse Reveals Scottie Barnes Has Been Playing 'Catch-Up' After Offseason Injury

Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse says Scottie Barnes' slow preseason is due to an offseason ankle injury that kept him sidelined before training camp

For all the fanfare surrounding Scottie Barnes this offseason from his improved jumper, to better ball handling, and developing defense, there was one hiccup story that went unntoiced: An injury.

There'd been no mention of the injury until Tuesday when Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse revealed that Barnes missed the three weeks prior to training camp due to "a light ankle issue." Since then, Barnes has been playing catchup, trying to get himself back into shape in time for his sophomore season.

"I think he’s just behind a little bit, conditioning-wise, feel-wise, all that kind of stuff," Nurse said of Barnes whose performance this preseason has been far from stellar.

Through four games this preseason, Barnes is averaging just 6.3 points per game while shooting 36.4% from the field with more turnovers than assists. He's also yet to make a single three-pointer and the Raptors have been outscored by 30 points when he's been on the court.

Concerning?

“Nope," Nurse said. "I’m just trying to get him to bring that energy and competitive enthusiasm that he has because if he does, the skills and the shooting and all that stuff and the moves and learning when to play power ball and when to make skill moves and all that stuff will just get better. He has worked on a lot of stuff, he is going to play more game reps, all those kind of things."

Setbacks prior to the season have a funny way of lingering for a little while. Last season, for example, Chris Boucher's broken thumb kept him out of sync until Christmas. Khem Birch too had to take it slow as he worked his way back from a COVID-19 diagnosies last preseason.

For Barnes, it may take some time to get back to where the Raptors need him to be for this season. Even in a developmental program as renown as Toronto's, nobody's developmental trajectory is ever linear. This injury is just the first hiccup for Barnes' road ahead. The question is how will he bounce back.

Further Reading

Raptors see new confidence in Dalano Banton: Looks like he's 'ready to crack the rotation'

Raptors not concerned about preseason shooting woes following loss to Bulls

Justin Champagnie is ready to show he belongs as final roster cuts approach for Raptors