Raptors' Patrick McCaw leaving bubble to treat knee issue

Raptors guard Patrick McCaw is leaving the NBA’s campus at Walt Disney World in order to seek treatment for a reoccurrence of a benign mass on the back of his left knee, the club announced today in a press release.

According to the Raptors’ announcement, McCaw will head to New York to seek an opinion from Dr. Riley Williams, who saw the 24-year-old for the same issue back in November. At that time, McCaw had the benign mass removed and was sidelined for over a month.

There’s no timetable for McCaw’s return at this point. If he does re-enter the NBA’s campus, he’ll have to quarantine for at least four days before rejoining the Raptors. However, Toronto noted in its press release that its roster is now down to 16 players, which perhaps suggests that the team doesn’t expect the three-time champion to play again this season.

McCaw, 24, signed with the Raptors partway through the 2018-19 season after winning a pair of titles with the Warriors. His playing time has fluctuated since he arrived in Toronto, but he frequently saw regular minutes in ’19-20, especially when the team was shorthanded due to other players’ injuries.

In 37 games (24.5 MPG) this season, McCaw averaged 4.6 PPG, 2.3 RPG and 2.1 APG on .414/.324/.722 shooting, while providing solid perimeter defense.

McCaw’s absence shouldn’t have a major impact on the Raptors’ rotation. Rookie guard Terence Davis will continue to play regular minutes off the bench, with wing Matt Thomas perhaps seeing a little more playing time as well.