Hard To Replace:Darko Rajakovic Decries The Place Of His Star Player…
Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic provides an update on Scottie Barnes after the All-Star broke his hand, discusses what next steps might look like and how the injury will affect the rest of the roster.
The Toronto Raptors say they’re still considering their options for Scottie Barnes who is having a specialist look at his injured left hand.
There’s no timeline on Barnes’ return for the Toronto Raptors as he and the organization continue to go over options following a fracture he sustained in his left hand Friday night. He’s seeing a specialist with more information expected in the next day or two, Raptors coach Darko Rajaković said.
Surgery has not been ruled out for Barnes who would likely miss the remainder of the season should it be necessary.
It’s going to be an opportunity for him to reflect on the season and to continue supporting teammates,” Rajaković said of Barnes who will not be with the team Sunday night when the Raptors host the Charlotte Hornets.
The loss of Barnes leaves Toronto with a major hole to fill for the foreseeable future. The expectation is his playing time will be divvied up among Toronto’s young core who will be expected to help fill the void in Barnes’ absence.
“This is gonna be a great opportunity for them to step up,” Rajaković said. “I expect (Immanuel) Quickley and RJ (Barrett) to step up and our leaders Kelly Olynyk and Jakob (Poeltl) to step up. Gary (Trent Jr.) can step up, but also this is going to be a good opportunity to take a closer and better look at some of the young guys like Jordan Nwora and Ochai (Agbaji), he can get more minutes.