Raptors' Scottie Barnes to miss a minimum of 3 weeks with orbital fracture

The Toronto Raptors announced that star swingman Scottie Barnes will be sidelined for a minimum of three weeks due to a right orbital fracture. The injury occurred during the fourth quarter of Monday's game against the Denver Nuggets, which ended in a 127-125 overtime loss.

How he was hurt: In that game against Denver, Barnes went down and stumbled to the bench in pain after he was elbowed with 24 seconds remaining in the fourth. After being treated briefly, Barnes was helped to the locker room.

Barnes took exception to a hard foul from the Nuggets’ Russell Westbrook as he drove to the basket early in the fourth. Barnes and Westbrook traded words before Barnes and Denver’s Aaron Gordon had to be separated after shoving each other. Westbrook was called for a flagrant foul, while Barnes and Gordon got offsetting technicals.

Impact of injury on Raptors: This season, Barnes is averaging 19.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals per game while shooting 46% overall and 18.2% on 3-pointers.

Barnes improved his averages in scoring, 3-point shooting, rebounding, assists and blocked shots last season, earned his first All-Star nod and likely still has room to develop into an even better player. As the Raptors begin building their way back to contention, Barnes is the clear cornerstone of their efforts.

His injury likely clears additional minutes for second-year swingman Gradey Dick, veteran Bruce Brown and youngsters Ochai Agbagi and Davion Mitchell in the rotation. Toronto is 1-3 and plays seven of its next 12 games on the road. Should Barnes return in roughly three weeks, he’d be back in time for the team’s four-game road trip that begins Thanksgiving week.

Barnes, the 2022 Kia Rookie of the Year, signed a contract extension this summer that could reach around $270 million if he meets supermax criteria.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.