Scottie Barnes out at least 3 weeks as Raptors' struggles, injury woes continue: 'Absolutely brutal loss'

The Toronto Raptors have suffered a major blow to start their 2024-25 campaign, after learning that Scottie Barnes will be out with a fractured right orbital bone. The all-star forward will be re-evaluated in three weeks time.

Barnes suffered the injury with 24 seconds left in the fourth quarter of the Raptors' Monday matchup against the Denver Nuggets. He took a blow to the eye from superstar centre Nikola Jokic, after the two went up for a rebound in a tightly contested contest — one in which the Nuggets completed a comeback to win 127-125 in overtime.

Barnes immediately hit the ground and had to leave for the remainder of the game, after leading the Raptors with team-highs of 21 points, nine assists and five steals, to go along with 12 rebounds.

Following the matchup, Jokic was asked if he knew what happened:

"No. I mean it was a fight for the ball, I didn't hit him on purpose," said Jokic, who finished with 40 points and 10 rebounds in the win.

The three-time MVP also had some nice words about the Raptors' star following the matchup:

The news for the Raptors continues a tough stretch of injuries. The team hasn't seen their newly form trio of Barnes, Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett take the floor together since March 1, when Barnes suffered a broken finger, which ended his 2023-24 season.

Quickley sustained a right pelvic contusion in Toronto's season opener, which has left him sidelined ever since. Barrett returned to the lineup on Monday after missing the start of the season with a sprained shoulder.

Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk and Ja'Kobe Walter have all also been sidelined to start the season due to various injuries.

In what's being viewed as a "rebuilding" campaign, losing Barnes is a serious blow. The six-foot-seven forward is by far the team's most versatile player and is viewed as the face of the franchise, after making his first all-star team last season with averages of 19.9 points, 8.2 rebounds and six assists a game.

The Raptors aren't expected to be overly competitive this year, starting off the season 1-3. For fans and media, it's clear that they expect things to get worse now without Toronto's star in the lineup for at least the next three weeks.

Others are seeing it as an opportunity for different players to step up, while some naturally think it's a chance for the Raptors to "tank" in order to secure a better standing in the 2025 NBA Draft.