Just when the Raptors are riding a euphoric high, spearheaded by their eight-game win streak at the time of writing, an untimely injury hurdle has come in Toronto's way. After securing their seventh-straight victory in a win over Brooklyn on November 23, it was during that same game where the flourishing hometown hero, RJ Barrett, exited the court after landing awkwardly after a dunk midway through the third quarter.
The Raptors have had minor injury concerns this year, especially with Jakob Poeltl early on, but this Barrett injury could have proven to be their first real significant setback. Thankfully for Raptors Nation, the team would reveal earlier today that Barrett was diagnosed with having a "right knee sprain" and he will be reevaluated in a week's time. Knee sprains are certainly no fun, but the silver lining here is learning that Barrett sustained no structural damage at all, despite some fears.
Nevertheless, the "Maple Mamba" missed his first game of the 2025-26 campaign on November 24, as the Raps secured crazy eight over the Cleveland Cavaliers. In the aftermath of that game, I referenced some post-game comments made by head coach Darko Rajakovic in a piece, where he emphasized how important it is for the team to adjust and react accordingly to such roster adversity. Of course, seeing how deep and young Toronto's roster is from top to bottom gives them a seemingly endless supply of reserves waiting for the call.
However, in light of Barrett's injury, aside from the obvious increase in usage for players like Brandon Ingram, who had a monster night against the Cavs, this period without RJ Barrett should be viewed as a stepping stone (with all due respect). It could especially benefit one or all three of these Raptors talents: Gradey Dick, Ja'Kobe Walter, and Ochai Agbaji. For all we know right now, Barrett is only out for about a week. But if he comes back sometime between December 2 and 5, that gives these young players at least three or four games to make an emphatic statement.
RJ Barrett injury opens the door for Raptors' youngsters to step up
I think we're already starting to see Dick and Walter individually come into their own as the 2025-26 campaign has seen the motions, but I'd argue they're still very much in proving ground stages to the coaching staff. We knew this was coming into the year, based on Darko Rajakovic’s longstanding stance. He always cherishes the “next man up” mentality, and why not rely on one of these two swingmen, each with their own skill set, to give the Raptors an added boost after losing one of their core trio.
And speaking of proving a point, I believe this could turn out to be a blessing in disguise for the Raptors' front office and Ochai Agbaji. After being one of last year's standouts, Agbaji has struggled to find consistent playing time and replicate his near-historic three-point shooting. He largely fell out of the rotation for much of November but has recently re-emerged, playing a role in the Raptors' last three games. I remain a firm supporter of Agbaji, but if he wants any chance of staying with Toronto in the near future, or if the Raptors want to use his expiring deal to improve their roster or add a draft asset, he needs to demonstrate to potential suitors during this stretch that his 2024-25 breakout was not a fluke.
Time is of the essence for all three gentlemen, as we may see Barrett return sooner than expected or much later than planned. Nonetheless, I expect the Raptors' strong depth to once again prove its worth during this period.