Scottie Barnes’ hand may never quite look the same.
The Toronto Raptors forward recently took to Twitch to discuss his recovery from season-ending surgery on his left hand following a freak accident on March 1. Barnes was inadvertently kicked by Immanuel Quickley as he tried to contend a layup attempt by Jonathan Kuminga.
Barnes said the surgery involved putting roughly 10 screws and a metal plate into his hand to ensure his recovery. The hand still looks different than it did before the injury and Barnes said he’s unsure if it’ll ever look the way it did.
Scottie talking about his hand injury pic.twitter.com/DSin1QMIMi
— 👁️🗨️ (@masaihesi) May 20, 2024
Toronto isn’t worried about Barnes’ recovery, though. Had the team still been in the playoff picture it’s possible Barnes would have returned for the end of the season.
“Hand feels great. Still some swelling, but I feel good,” Barnes said during his season-ending media availability. “I wanted to play, wanted to get back on the floor, but precautionary issues.”
Barnes was seen doing dribbling activities with both hands before the season ended and is expected to be fully ready to go for the start of next year.
The injury forced Barnes out of the lineup for the final 22 games of the season and limited his third year to just 60 games. It made him ineligible for all NBA awards this summer.
Barnes finished the year averaging 19.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game while shooting 47.5% from the floor and a career-high 34.1% from three-point range. His three-point shooting saw a remarkable six percentage point increase over his sophomore season.
