TORONTO – Darko Rajakovic cut straight to the chase in his pre-game news conference: yes, Scottie Barnes is back.
Barnes was inserted into the Toronto Raptors starting lineup ahead of Thursday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Scotiabank Arena. He had been out since Oct. 28 with a fractured right orbital bone.
“I don’t want Scottie Barnes to be anything outside of Scottie Barnes,” said Rajakovic in his pre-game news conference. “I just need him to be best version of himself and when he’s that, he’s really raising the people around him to a different level.
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“He’s making everybody around him higher.”
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Barnes was injured within the fourth quarter of Toronto’s 127-125 additional time loss to the Nuggets on Oct. 28 when he caught an errant elbow from Denver centre Nikola Jokic. Barnes was expected to be out no less than three weeks with the injury but got here back barely ahead of schedule.
The 23-year-old all-star forward was averaging 19.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 6 assists per game before he was hurt. Rajakovic said Barnes would play limited minutes and that he’d should wear protective goggles.
Rajakovic was coy when asked who could be moved to Toronto’s bench to create space for Barnes.
“Scottie will start. Who knows who won’t,” laughed Rajakovic.
Rookie combo guard Ja’kobe Walter was also made available for the Raptors. He had missed Toronto’s last six games with a sprained right shoulder.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 21, 2024.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
