The first half of Thursday’s game between the Toronto Raptors and Phoenix Suns was ugly for reasons beyond just the terrible basketball being played. Patrick Patterson checked out in the second quarter earlier than his normal substitution pattern would suggest, and he headed to the locker room with director of sport science Alex McKechnie.
He will not return, with the team calling the injury a left knee strain.
It would be difficult to overstate the impact any serious injury to Patterson would have on the team. A strain sounds like a mild enough diagnosis, and the Raptors have two days off after this game, but that he was ruled out quite promptly is concerning. It would stand to reason that he’ll be monitored further and maybe even undergo some diagnostic testing, but for now let’s assume the best and consider this a day-to-day thing.
Patterson on his injured knee: "I just know I felt a sharp jolt/pain in my knee and after that tried to run it off but it wasn't happening."
— Mike Ganter (@Mike_Ganter) December 30, 2016
The second quarter suggested that the immediate solution to filling the Patterson void will be more minutes small. DeMarre Carroll checked in for Patterson and spent the bulk of the quarter as the de facto power forward, which also served to make Norman Powell an important part of the rotation (see, I told you earlier today there would be more opportunities for Powell eventually, ugh). In the second half, Pascal Siakam will probably be needed more than the zero minutes he’s averaged of late, and the Raptors will have to cross their fingers that he can give them some quality minutes to close this ugly game out. The Raptors could probably get by for this game without much from Siakam, staying small for longer stretches, but he’ll be needed more if Patterson misses any additional time.
UPDATE: Terrence Ross started the second half, sliding Carroll to the four rather than going back to Siakam. That’s certainly an interesting decision.
Patterson has been invaluable to the Raptors the last two seasons, playing a key role in many of their best lineups, including two of the very best in the NBA this year (when he plays with the starters and the Kyle Lowry-and-bench group). While his offense is at times inconsistent and his usage at that end minimal, he’s one of the team’s best and smartest defenders, and he has a knack for making things easier for the rest of his teammates. He’s averaging just 7.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 29.1 minutes with a below-average 51.2 true-shooting percentage, but even still, the Raptors have been 14.8 points per-100 possessions better with him on the court. That was the case last year, too, and Patterson’s among the league-leaders in plus-minus over the last season-plus despite coming off the bench and shooting infrequently.
Hope for the best. Patterson is very important to what this team does, and they don’t have the depth at the four until Jared Sullinger returns to withstand too long an absence.
