Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (personal) is expected to be on the court for Friday's preseason matchup against the Washington Wizards. Barnes missed the preseason opener due to personal reasons, but he has already returned to practice. This will be his first game action since suffering a season-ending hand injury in the beginning of March. The 23-year-old is hopeful to get back to the way he was playing last season. Barnes posted 19.9 points per game, 8.2 rebounds, and 6.0 assists which are all career highs for him. Fantasy managers shouldn't expect this hand injury to have lingering effects and Barnes should be ready to go for the season opener.
Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (rest) won't play in Sunday's preseason matchup with the Washington Wizards. The 23-year-old is healthy. However, he recently rejoined the team after missing a few days of training camp due to a personal issue, so he's not ready to get on the floor. Despite missing time due to a hand injury, Barnes had the best season of his career in 2023-24, averaging 19.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 1.3 steals. His shooting percentages have also improved. As such, he has All-Star potential in 2024-25, so fantasy managers should draft him accordingly. Bruce Brown (knee) and Immanuel Quickley (thumb) will also sit this one out, so there's a good chance guys like Ochai Agbaji, Jonathan Mogbo, and Ulrich Chomche could benefit from a fantasy standpoint.
According to Doug Smith of the Toronto Star, Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (personal) has an excused absence from at least the start of training camp to attend to some personal things. He is expected to be at camp later in the week. Toronto will rely heavily on the 23-year-old this season as he is the undisputed superstar of this team. Last year, Barnes compiled his best season yet with averages of 19.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game.
Scottie Barnes Works On Shot Creation In Offseason
Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes talked about adding a lot to his game this offseason as he heads into the fourth season of his career. During the team's media day, Barnes spoke to reporters about how he's working on his shot creation, off-the-dribble moves in different sets, and being able to get to his spots more efficiently than before. He even cited using those skills to create for others, not just finding his own shot. He also named some individual goals to make the All-Star team and an All-NBA team, but those will also come with winning. Barnes is the undisputed superstar of this team, and his fourth season will arguably be the most important. Last year, Barnes registered his best season yet with averages of 19.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game with shooting splits of .475/.341/.781.
Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes just finished his third season in the NBA, which was his best one to date and resulted in his first All-Star game appearance. Now that he's going to enter his fourth season, he was up for a contract extension to follow his rookie deal. According to Adrian Wojnarowski, Barnes intends to sign a maximum rookie extension that could be worth up to $270 million over five years. This would make the new cornerstone player the highest-paid Raptor of all time. Barnes averaged 19.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game last year while posting shooting splits of .475/.341/.781. The team already made some moves this past season before the trade deadline, which made it clear they're building around Barnes moving forward.
Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (hand) has been doing some light on-court work but is still not cleared for contact. Barnes isn't using his surgically-repaired left hand in practice, which means he's not close to a return to the court for the 23-49 Raptors. At this stage of a lost season north of the border, managers should not be expecting the 22-year-old All-Star to contribute for them during the fantasy postseason. 2022 first-round pick Ochai Agbaji has started Toronto's last 12 games amid Barnes' absence, averaging a modest 8.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.0 steals in 28.1 minutes over this span. He won't be a reliable streamer on Wednesday against the New York Knicks, who rank first in the Eastern Conference with 107.6 points per game allowed during 2023-24.
Kelly Olynyk Flops In First Game Without Scottie Barnes
Toronto Raptors forward Kelly Olynyk didn't hit a field goal in Sunday's 111-106 victory over the Charlotte Hornets but tallied four points, four rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two blocks in 26 minutes. The final output is not the most disappointing part, since Olynyk was a very popular fantasy add in the aftermath of Scottie Barnes' (hand) setback but saw Ochai Agbaji unexpectedly hop into Toronto's starting five. Considering Charlotte was missing their two top big men, Mark Williams (back) and Nick Richards (foot), head coach Darko Rajakovic may have opted to employ a smaller first unit for matchup-related reasons. Hang onto Olynyk despite the lackluster stat line, as Jakob Poeltl (finger) is joining Barnes on the sidelines for Tuesday's tilt versus the New Orleans Pelicans. In eight starting appearances this year, Olynyk is averaging 9.5 points, 6.9 assists, 6.5 rebounds, and 0.8 treys in 26.3 minutes.
According to TSN Sports' Josh Lewenberg, Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (hand) is out indefinitely. The All-Star logged just 16 minutes in Friday's meeting with the Warriors before injuring his left hand. He didn't return. There was some confusion regarding how the injury happened. However, and most importantly, subsequent testing revealed he suffered a fracture to the third metacarpal bone. Barnes has had the best year of his career, averaging 20.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 1.5 blocks. He's also shot 34.0% from deep, a significant upgrade from his first two seasons. Unfortunately, fantasy managers may not have him in their lineups for the remainder of the 2023-24 campaign. But Kelly Olynyk, who had 16 points, 10 boards, and three steals, should get scooped off of waivers immediately, assuming he's still available.
Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes contributed 16 points off the bench as the Eastern Conference dominated the All-Star Game on Sunday, winning 211-186. Making his first All-Star appearance, Barnes shot 7-for-10 from the field with two makes from downtown and picked up eight rebounds, three assists, and one steal in 18 minutes. Barnes was one of four All-Star Game debutants in 2024, along with Jalen Brunson, Tyrese Maxey, and Paolo Banchero, who all suited up for the East. The 22-year-old forward has become a centerpiece for the Raptors and should have a huge finish to 2023-24. Entering the All-Star break, Barnes averaged a near triple-double over a four-game stretch, which could be a sign of things to come.
Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (foot), who has been taken off the injury report, saw his fourth-year team option exercised before Wednesday's regular-season opener versus the Minnesota Timberwolves. Barnes is now officially on the books with his rookie contract through the 2024-25 season before hitting restricted free agency in the summer of 2025. The 21-year-old left Toronto's final preseason game Friday with a sprained foot, but he's ready to rock for Wednesday's home opener. Barnes looks for a third-year leap in 2023-24 after Year 2 saw him fall out of the top 75 in average 9-category fantasy value, with primary ball-handler Fred VanVleet having since departed for the Houston Rockets during this past offseason.
