RJ Barrett out for rest of Raptors pre-season

The injury bug has followed the Toronto Raptors into the new NBA season.

TORONTO – The injury bug has followed the Toronto Raptors into the new NBA season.

Canadian swingman RJ Barrett will miss the rest of Toronto’s pre-season with a sprained right shoulder sustained in the Raptors’ 125-98 exhibition victory over the Washington Wizards on Sunday. Head coach Darko Rajakovic said that although Barrett won’t be able to play in Toronto’s four remaining pre-season games, he’ll still be busy.

“They’re going to go week by week,” Rajakovic told reporters at OVO Athletic Centre. “He will be able to do a lot of other stuff, conditioning wise and to address his health everywhere else, with his knees and strength and all of that.

“Once he comes back, he’s going to be in a great position to continue.”

Barrett left Sunday’s victory over the Wizards in the second quarter after he ran through a screen set by former Toronto big man Jonas Valanciunas. The Raptors said in a statement that Barrett sustained a sprain to the right acromioclavicular joint on the play.

It’s the exact same injury that has kept rookie forward/guard Ja’Kobe Walter out of training camp. Walter was selected 19th overall by the Raptors in the past summer’s NBA Draft.

“When situations like that happen, you’ve got to look on what are the silver linings,” said Rajakovic. “What are some things that players can do meanwhile to address things that otherwise they may not be able to address?

“Is that strength wise, is that conditioning? Is that watching more film? Is that adding another skill? I always try to look at it from the positive side.”