Raptors Share Latest on Scottie Barnes' Injured Left Hand
Scottie Barnes is out indefinitely.
This is the one disaster the Toronto Raptors couldn’t afford this year. The 22-year-old had not missed a game all season, but now he’ll miss extended time with a fracture in his left hand, the team announced.
The injury appeared to occur in the second quarter when Immanuel Quickley inadvertently kicked Barnes’ hand as the two tried to contest a layup from Jonathan Kuminga on Friday night. The fracture is in his third metacarpal bone, the team said.
Recovery timetables vary greatly depending on the severity of Barnes’ injury. If he does not require surgery, Barnes could miss about a month, Dr. Ali Rendely, a physical medicine and rehabilitation doctor, shared on X. If surgery is required, Barnes will likely be out for the remainder of the season.
As a team, Toronto has been remarkably healthy this season. Only Jakob Poeltl missed extended time earlier this year, save for a few missed games from other key players along the way.
Barnes’ injury and Friday’s loss to the Golden State Warriors will certainly take the Raptors out of the play-in picture. The Raptors have made it clear they’d prefer to let their young players gel and will not tank to retain their top-six protected first-round pick, but Barnes' injury may change their direction.
As of Saturday, the Raptors have the seventh-worst record in the NBA and a 32% chance to retain their first-round pick. They sit two games behind the Memphis Grizzlies in the reverse standings for the sixth-worst record and a 45.8% chance at a top-six pick.
