TORONTO – It may be a while before R.J. Barrett will become a regular starter for the Toronto Raptors.
Barrett was named to the Raptors' daily roster hours before Monday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Barrett missed that game and possibly more after spraining his right knee.
“Obviously we took some pictures last night and we did some more testing this morning,” head coach Darko Rajakovic said in his pre-game press conference. “It looks very promising, very good.
“For now, it will be day-by-day.”
Barrett appeared to hurt himself in Toronto's 119-109 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday when he landed awkwardly after dunking in the third quarter. He left the court during the next stoppage of play and did not return.
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The Mississauga, Ontario native ranks second on the Raptors this season with 19.4 points per game. He also averages 4.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.
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“RJ is a very, very important player for us and he does some things that are unique to him and unique to our team,” Rajakovic said. “I don't expect anyone to take his place and be different from RJ.
“We have some players that can bring a different dimension to our starters. Is it more defensive minded? Is it more space in attack? I think the couple of days that RJ is out will be a good routine for us to learn and see what it looks like and who can help us best.”
Backup point guard Jamal Sheed took over Barrett's minutes during the remainder of the Raptors' win over Brooklyn. Sophomore guard Ja'Kobe Walter, normally a reserve player, was named to Toronto's starting lineup Monday against the Cavaliers.
Sheed is averaging 6.2 points, 5.6 assists and 1.6 rebounds per game this season. He excels defensively with 0.8 steals and 0.1 blocks per game.
Walter is averaging 4.4 points, 1.4 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game this season.
“Jamal Sheed is a winner. He plays a winning game on both ends of the floor,” Rajakovich said. “It was a tough decision yesterday because we had some guys that played really well and I thought Ja'Kobe played great as well.
“I was kind of between those two guys who were going to finish the game for us. But it's good to have that problem, you know?”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 24, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
