Scottie Barnes Returns to Practice After Knee Scare In Raptors' Preseason Opener

The Toronto Raptors can officially breathe a sigh of relief on Tuesday now that Scottie Barnes made his return to practice after having a minor injury scare during the team's preseason opener on Saturday against the Miami Heat, according to Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca.

The 25-year-old forward banged his knee during the opening minute but shook it off until head coach Darko Rajaković and the medical staff pulled the plug on his night after the first half, keeping him out the rest of the way just to be cautious.

Still, Barnes being back in action is a great sign that the incident was a freak accident and his knee should be in good shape going forward.

Prior to being removed from the matchup, Barnes scored 11 points while collecting two rebounds and three steals in 12 minutes of action. He also logged two assists and went 5-for-11 from the field.

Barnes' numbers were only second to those of fellow forward RJ Barrett who tallied 15 points and three rebounds across 17 minutes as Toronto went on to lose to their conference rival 129-105.

Besides Saturday, Barnes has cemented himself as one of the Raptors' key pieces going into the upcoming NBA season, coming off an impressive year last season in which he averaged 18.1 points per game while leading the team with 7.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals.

Barnes should also have all the motivation in the world this year with him missing out on a top 10 spot in the NBA Defensive Player of the Year odds.

Furthermore, the Raptors took a great step of faith in not just Barnes but their whole core by reuniting with superstar Kawhi Leonard in a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers that packaged multiple draft picks and two players in Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick.

Barnes and Leonard should gel together nicely on the court given both players' strengths of efficient shooting, reliable scoring and solid defense whenever needed. 

Although Leonard sat out against Miami and is expected to miss the Raptors' next matchup this coming Saturday against his former team, he should be primed for an opportunity to build his chemistry with Barnes on Oct. 13 against the defending NBA champion New York Knicks.

For now, Barnes will look to remain healthy and pick up where he left off against a Clippers team that was brought to its knees following severe sanctions imposed by the league that included a loss of five first-round draft picks as a result of circumventing their salary cap policies.