Toronto Raptors rookie Scottie Barnes will not play Saturday on the road against the Milwaukee Bucks due to right knee injury management, the team announced.
Barnes will miss his third game of the season due to the injury, which first occurred while he was out of the lineup due to the health and safety protocol. He did not play on Dec. 31 and then again on Jan. 4 after re-aggravating the injury.
With the Raptors playing the second game of a back-to-back on Saturday, the team opted to hold Barnes out to rest. He recorded eight points, seven rebounds, two assists and one steal on Friday in 33 minutes during a loss to the Detroit Pistons.
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Barnes has emerged as an early-season candidate for Rookie of the Year after averaging 14.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists and one steal in 33 games. He is fifth in scoring average and second in rebounding average among all first-year players.
The fourth pick has established himself as one of the Raptors’ key players this season. He has played, at times, well beyond his years so the team will certainly be cautious with his knee injury for the foreseeable future.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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