The Toronto Raptors have been very entertaining to start the 2024-25 season regardless of what their 3-12 record may show. It’s quite a testament to their young core that they’ve been semi-competitive despite missing the services of star player Scottie Barnes for the past 11 games. The good news is that Barnes appears to be on the precipice of a return, and there is a chance that he could suit up for the Raptors’ Thursday night battle against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
For now, here is everything there is to know regarding Barnes’ injury status.
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Scottie Barnes injury status vs. Timberwolves
Scottie Barnes has been out since the Raptors’ October 28 clash against the Denver Nuggets after he took a hard shot to the eye from Nikola Jokic in what ended up being a 127-125 defeat. Barnes sustained an orbital fracture as a result of the blow, and he was originally given a timetable of at least three weeks of recovery.
Three weeks have indeed passed, and accordingly, Barnes has been upgraded to “questionable” on the official NBA injury report — a major improvement from when he was being ruled out immediately.
It’s a good sign that Barnes is on track to recover on time even if the Raptors forward did not look well at all through his first week or so on the mend — with his eye being bloodshot. The last thing Barnes and the Raptors would want is for more injury problems to plague him. As one would recall, Barnes broke his left middle finger last season, forcing him to miss the Raptors’ final 22 games.
Fresh off signing a huge contract extension in the offseason, bigger and better things are expected out of Barnes this season. In the four games he’s played thus far this season, he averaged 19.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 6.0 assists — solid numbers, but not yet the superstar leap that many believe he’s capable of reaching.
If Barnes were to return against the Timberwolves, it’s likely that he’ll be replacing Ochai Agbaji in the starting lineup. That could mean fewer minutes for the likes of Jamison Battle and Jonathan Mogbo. RJ Barrett will also have to take a backseat, although he’s been playing well as of late.
But for now, given the uncertainty surrounding Barnes’ status, the answer to the question of whether or not he’ll be ready to go against the Timberwolves remains a “maybe”.
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