Scottie Barnes Attends Shootaround Without Walking Boot, Gary Trent Jr. Cleared to Play

Toronto Raptors rookie Scottie Barnes was without a walking boot and appears to be nearing a return ahead of Game 3 against the Philadelphia 76ers

Aaron Rose | Apr 20, 2022

Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Scottie Barnes appears to be heading in the right direction.

The Toronto Raptors rookie forward was at Wednesday morning's shootaround and was seen without a walking boot and appeared to be walking without a noticeable limp just four days after spraining his left ankle in the fourth quarter of Game 1.

Barnes remains doubtful to play, per the injury report, though he certainly appears on his way back to a return.

"Yeah, he looks a pretty good," Raptors coach Nick Nurse said of Barnes.

His return would allow Toronto to share the ball handling duties, creating more off-ball opportunities for Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam, Nurse added.

As for Gary Trent Jr., he was also at shootaround Wednesday despite battling a non-COVID illness. He will play in Game 3, Nurse said.

"He looks a little better. Still not 100%, but better than he has looked," Nurse said of Trent.

Trent gave it a go in Game 2 but never looked right. He played just less than 10 minutes and was unable to score a single basket before eventually being ruled out.

Thad Young will play despite his hyperextended left thumb. He is not on the injury report and should see his playing time tick up after contributing just eight minutes in Game 2.

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