The “Maple Mamba” has lived up to his iconic moniker for the Toronto Raptors so far this season, which would make losing him for an extended period of time a tough break for the team.
RJ Barrett left Toronto’s 119-109 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday, November 23 in the third quarter with a reported right knee sprain. He appeared to suffer the injury on an awkward landing following a dunk. Barrett exited the floor at the next whistle and went straight to the locker room.
Before the injury, Barrett had 16 points on 50% shooting from the field. For the season, the Mississauga, Ontario native is averaging 19.6 points, 5 rebounds and 3.9 assists.
Barrett has helped the Raptors get off to a resurgent start to the season. After Toronto missed the postseason for the third consecutive year in 2024-25, the Raptors are 12-5 and in second place in the Eastern Conference.
Toronto Raptors Could Lose RJ Barrett For Multiple Games
Barrett is set to undergo imaging on Monday, November 24 to determine the extent of his knee injury. The Raptors face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second game of a back-to-back for Toronto on Monday, making it unlikely that Barrett plays tonight.
Barrett has dealt with a couple of injuries in his career that kept him out for multiple games, including a right ankle sprain in his rookie year with the New York Knicks and a sprained AC joint in his right shoulder at the start of last season.
Toronto is hoping its star forward only has to miss one game, but if Barrett is out for an extended period of time, the Raptors have some options who can fill in for him. Collin Murray-Boyles, Toronto’s first-round pick in 2025, is the next man off the bench and started in place of the injured Jakob Poeltl earlier this season. If head coach Darko Rajokovic wants to go with a smaller lineup and keep Murray-Boyles as the sixth man, then guard Ochai Agbaji could be elevated to a starting role. He dealt with a back strain earlier this season but has returned to action and played 15 minutes per game over his last two contests.
Toronto Raptors Are Off To A Surprising Start
The injury to Barrett, a key piece in the Raptor’s rotation, comes at a difficult time for the team, which has won seven in a row and 11 of its last 12 games. After a 1-4 start to the year, Toronto has taken care of business against an easier stretch of its schedule and is now just two and a half games behind the Detroit Pistons, another surprising success story in the season’s first month, in the Eastern Conference.
The Raptors have been one of the best passing teams in the league so far, as they rank second in assists per game. That philosophy emphasizing quality ball movement has led to some highly efficient shooting, as Toronto also ranks in the top five in field goal percentage and three point percentage. Not to mention, they are scoring 121 points per game, good for fifth in the NBA.
Toronto will try to find a way to keep its stellar season going regardless of whether Barrett is on the floor or not. The Raptors will face Cleveland and the Indiana Pacers on the road to begin this week before returning home to play the Charlotte Hornets and New York.
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