Former New York Knicks wing RJ Barrett will miss his ninth consecutive game for the Toronto Raptors when the two teams play each other in Tuesday night’s NBA Cup quarterfinals. On Monday, the Raptors announced that Barrett had received a “platelet-rich plasma injection” for his sprained knee, and his status will be updated in a week.
Although the Raptors said that Barrett has “continued to progress” in the statement — which confirms that time has continued to move forward and nothing else — he will miss two more games, if not more. After the Knicks game, the Raptors will play one more game, either the Cup semifinals or a game against the loser of the Orlando-Miami quarterfinals, and then will be off until Dec. 18 when they play the Bucks in Milwaukee. (They will have an extra game, the Cup final, if they win their next two games. That game does not count in the regular season standings.)
While correlation does not equal causation, Barrett’s injury, suffered on Nov. 23, neatly bisects the team’s play this year. The Raptors were one of the league’s best stories before the injury, and have been languishing since. (League-wide rankings are in parentheses.)
Raptors through Nov. 23: 12-5 (sixth), 119.2 offensive rating (fifth), 57.3 effective field-goal percentage (third), 13.7 turnover percentage (sixth).Since Nov. 24: 3-5 (21st), 107.0 offensive rating (29th), 50.8 effective field-goal percentage (28th), 16.2 turnover percentage (25th)
Barrett is averaging 19.4 points on 50.6 percent shooting, adding 4.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. Second-year wing Ja’Kobe Walter has most commonly started in his place.