Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic confirmed that both Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick will not feature for the remainder of the 2024-25 season.
Ingram was acquired by the Raptors from the New Orleans Pelicans at the trade deadline. He hasn’t played a game since an ankle injury on Dec. 7 while with New Orleans.
The 27-year-old ends his season averaging 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists and just under a steal in just 18 games. He shot 46.5 percent from the field including 37.4 percent from three and 85.5 percent from the free-throw line.
Ingram is expected to form part of a core including Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley that will compete for the playoffs next season.
Dick hasn’t played since a March 2 contest against the Orlando Magic. He’s been shut down as he recovers from a bone bruise on his knee.
He finishes his sophomore season averaging 14.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and just under a steal in 54 games. He shot an underwhelming 35 percent from three considering the high reputation he has as a shooter.
The Raptors have also been resting Quickley and Jakob Poeltl every other game.
Barnes Ruled Out For Raptors Against Nets
In addition, Scottie Barnes has been sat for a second straight game due to a bruised right hand. Rajakovic revealed earlier that Barnes has been dealing with the injury for a couple months. He also suggested that both Barnes’ dribbling and shooting has been impacted as a result.
Barnes has shot 26.3 percent from three this season. In two April games, he averaged 7.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.5 steals in 26 minutes.
It will be interesting to see how things play out for Barnes over the final three games. He has played in 62 games this season, meaning he will need to play each of the final three games to make himself eligible for end-of-season awards.
While it’s highly unlikely Barnes is in the running for an All-NBA team, he should have a shot at making an All-Defensive team. Individually, he has been excellent on that end of the floor.
What will surely go against him is the Raptors being 28-50 on the season and the team having a league-average defensive rating.
First, he’ll have to be eligible.
