Raptors’ Ja’Kobe Walter exits vs. 76ers with hip injury

Ja’Kobe Walter was the latest to get hit, as the sophomore guard was ruled out for the remainder of Sunday’s contest against the Philadelphia 76ers with a right-hip pointer injury.

The 21-year-old suffered the injury midway through the opening quarter when he finished a layup in transition but bumped into Philadelphia’s Kelly Oubre Jr. along the way.

Walter grimaced in visible pain upon the collision and later buckled to the ground on his way to the locker room, per Sportsnet’s Danielle Michaud. He left the game with two points and an assist in 4:43 of action.

The timing is especially unfortunate, considering Walter entered the matchup on the heels of a season-high 19-point performance — on 5-of-9 shooting from deep — against the Boston Celtics on Friday.

Last year’s 19th overall pick has been a mainstay for the Raptors this season, having played in 37 games while making nine starts. Walter has averaged 6.3 points, 2.2 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 0.9 steals while shooting 37.3 per cent from deep in that span.

The Raptors already entered Sunday’s matchup — the first of a back-to-back against Philly — without three starters in Brandon Ingram (thumb), RJ Barrett (ankle) and Jakob Poeltl (back). Meanwhile, star forward Scottie Barnes just made his return from a knee injury suffered two games prior.