Scottie Barnes is back.
Barnes will make his return against the Minnesota Timberwolves tonight, according to TSN’s Josh Lewenberg.
The 23-year-old missed 11 games for the Raptors and just over 3 weeks with an orbital fracture he suffered against the Denver Nuggets on Oct 28. Barnes will be on a minutes restriction and the plan is for him to wear goggles for the next little bit while his right eye fully recovers.
With Barnes back in the mix, Ochai Agbaji will likely head back to the bench. Also Gradey Dick, RJ Barrett and Jakob Poeltl will slide back into their more traditional positions.
Barnes averaged 19.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game for the Raptors over their first four contests before suffering the right eye injury.
Meanwhile, Raptors rookie Ja’Kobe Walter will be a game-time decision. He practised with the 905 this morning and they’re going to see how he’s feeling after pre-game warmups, per Lewenberg.
Bruce Brown (knee), Kelly Olynyk (back), Immanuel Quickley (elbow), Bruno Fernando (ankle) and DJ Carton (ankle) all remain out.
Raptors unveil new postgame award for best defensive effort
The Toronto Raptors will have a new award to hand out postgame for the rest of the season.
The Raptors unveiled its player-of-the-game chain last season. Every time the Raptors won a game, the player or person who had a standout performance and exemplified the team’s culture got awarded with a gold chain.
Now there’s a new prize as the Raptors unveiled the “lockdown king” crown earlier this week. The crown will be awarded to the player who brings the best defensive effort, Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic told reporters.
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