"All-Star selections are gonna be atrocious" - NBA fans react to Scottie Barnes' ankle injury keeping him out for multiple weeks
NBA players keep dropping like flies. We've seen stars like Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Chet Holmgren, LaMelo Ball, Zion Williamson, Joel Embiid, and Kawhi Leonard already miss long stretches with injuries.
Now, it's Scottie Barnes' turn. The Toronto Raptors star forward reportedly suffered an ankle injury that will keep him on the shelf for the time being, and there's still no word on a potential return.
That's why the fans took to X to express their frustration over this never-ending string of injuries:
"The Allstar selections are gonna be atrocious," one fan said.
"These injuries are devastating. He’s another guy having a great season," another one added.
"This is a huge loss for them. He was having a great year too. Injuries are ruining the NBA," a fan chimed in.
"Viewership is down because every star is getting injured man," one account sentenced.
"Damn. PG Scottie was balling fr. Injuries really suck," one fan lamented.
"no way. Scottie has the worst luck," another one said.
Jason Kidd and Kyrie Irving praise Barnes
Prior to his injury, Barnes had drawn praise from one of the greatest playmakers of all time. Kidd, the Dallas Mavericks coach, tipped his hat to him and talked about the challenges of guarding such a towering playmaker:
“It used to always be a small guy was the point guard, but now we have guys that are 6’11”, 6’8” playing the point and it just changes the game. Their vision, the window of passing is a little bit higher, and then also just their ability,” Kidd said of Barnes. “These guys can all put it on the floor, get to the rim, and it just puts a lot of pressure on the defense.”
Notably, Irving shared a similar sentiment, praising Barnes for his aggressive approach to the game and how he keeps on pushing:
“Scottie is one of those guys, along with Luka, that likes to keep attacking and feels like he's never out of the game,” said Irving, adding, “That's one of the traits of some of the great players in the league.”
Irving then went on to dissect how players like Barnes or Luka Doncic make the most of that height advantage to run the offense and do things smaller players can't do:
“I think they're able to use their vision very well, they’re able to flatten the defense, they’re able to post up, they’re able to isolate on the perimeter, and most importantly, they're able to push the pace and make a lot of tough passes that a lot of small guards can’t make,” Irving continued. “It’s just their advantage.”
Even despite his team's struggles, his averages of 20.6 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game had him as almost a lock to make the All-Star Game. Now, all that matters is that he comes back stronger from this.