Toronto Raptors All-Star Scottie Barnes has been diagnosed with a right orbital fracture after taking an elbow to the eye in Monday night's overtime loss to the Denver Nuggets, the team announced on Wednesday.

The injury occurred late in the fourth quarter when Barnes and Nuggets MVP Nikola Jokic were both attempting to grab a rebound. As Jokic's arm came down, it slammed into Barnes' face and eye, immediately causing the Raptors star to fall to the ground in immediate pain. It appeared as if Barnes was having trouble seeing after the hit, as he was guided to and helped to the locker room by team medical personnel.

As a result of this injury, Barnes will be sidelined for at least three weeks before being reevaluated by Raptors medical personnel.

Impact of Scottie Barnes' injury

Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (4) slaps hands with forward RJ Barrett (9) after scoring against the Brooklyn Nets in the first half at Scotiabank Arena.
Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

This is a significant loss for the Raptors, as Barnes is currently the face of the franchise after Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby were traded away during the 2023-24 season. The former fourth overall pick entered the 2024-25 season after a breakout All-Star year in which he averaged 19.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 47.5 percent from the floor.

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Barnes, 23, has cemented himself as one of the young rising stars of the league. His abilities to impact the game on both ends of the court are what make him a special player that can't be replaced in Toronto. Without Barnes on the court, the Raptors will be severely limited in their frontcourt.

Early-season injuries have hit the Raptors harder than any other franchise in the NBA. Along with Barnes landing on the injury report, starting point guard Immanuel Quickley has not played since opening night due to a right pelvic contusion. He is listed as doubtful to play against the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night.

RJ Barrett has also been dealing with some injury concerns, as he made his return to the court from an AC joint injury in his right shoulder against the Nuggets on Monday. Bruce Brown also hasn't played at all this season after undergoing offseason knee surgery.

With Barnes set to miss at least the next three weeks, Barrett now assumes the role of being the top scoring option for the Raptors. In addition, rookies Jonathan Mogbo and Jamison Battle will see their respective roles increase with Barnes out of the equation.

Although head coach Darko Rajakovic won't give up on the season at hand with his star being sidelined, it is hard to imagine the Raptors finding much success given their lengthy injury report. After all, lead executive Masai Ujiri did make comments about the team rebuilding this offseason, as he claimed that his young, growing team has a path forward while they rebuild.

Now that Barnes is out indefinitely, opportunity presents itself for young players to take advantage of their opportunities in what could become a lost season in Toronto.