After going down in considerable pain with an ankle injury on Dec. 9 against the New York Knicks, it appears Scottie Barnes is nearing a return to action.
Barnes Approaching Return
The Toronto Raptors star was seen in a walking boot on Dec. 10 and there was an initial ESPN report suggesting he could miss weeks. In the latest official injury report, though, Toronto upgraded Barnes’ status to “questionable” for Thursday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets.
If Barnes were to indeed return Dec. 19, that would be an absence of just over a week. Because of the NBA Cup schedule, the Raptors only played two games during that time and went 0-2. The team is 2-11 without Barnes this season and 2-13 including the games he left for injury. At 7-20 overall, it means the Raptors are 5-7 in games their franchise cornerstone has been fully available to play.
Barnes missed 11 games earlier in the season with a right orbital fracture after an inadvertent blow to the face by the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic.
The 23-year-old has been having a very good season when he’s been on the court, averaging 20.6 points, 8.4 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 1.3 steals in 14 games. The points, rebounds, and assists would all be new career-highs.
Jakob Poeltl Injured
Center Jakob Poeltl suffered what’s been diagnosed as a bilateral groin strain and will not play against the Nets on Thursday. He is being listed as day-to-day.
The injury occurred against the Chicago Bulls on Dec. 16. Poeltl looked to shift over into the paint and contest a drive but instead lost his footing on a wet spot, slipped awkwardly and fell to the court.
After playing just 50 games last season, Poeltl has played in 26 of 27 games so far this season. The Austrian is in the midst of a career year, averaging 15.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 1.2 blocks. He is also shooting a career-best 68.2 percent at the foul line, a 13 percent increase from his career average.
Other Injury Updates
Immanuel Quickley remains out due to the partial UCL tear in his left elbow and hasn’t played since Nov. 10. He has still not been cleared to practice.
Bruce Brown is still in a reconditioning program after recovering from an arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in late September and is yet to make his season debut.
