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TSN Raptors Reporter

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TORONTO - Although the Raptors were tight-lipped about the status of injured forward James Johnson on Monday afternoon, his absence spoke loader than words.

Johnson did not participate in practice, two days after exiting Toronto's win over Utah with a right ankle sprain and leaving the Air Canada Centre on crutches.

There's no timetable for his return, but coach Dwane Casey did not sound optimistic regarding his short-term availability.

"His ankle is tender," Casey said following Monday's practice session. "I don't know how long he's going to be out. It's a pretty good sprain on his ankle. It's nothing more than that. We'll see how it goes for the next few days, and see how long he's going to be out."

Coming down on the foot of a camera operator after diving for a loose ball on the baseline, Johnson turned his ankle early in the fourth quarter of Saturday's game. After trying to play through it for two minutes, the sixth-year vet hobbled to the locker room where he would remain for the duration of the contest.

X-rays were negative, but Johnson was walking with a significant limp, requiring assistance from teammate Jonas Valanciunas to get from the shower to his locker after the game.

Even though the Raptors have a rare three-day break before hosting the Grizzlies - his former team - on Wednesday, it's unlikely that Johnson will be available for that contest. The team is preparing to move forward without its best perimeter defender, at least for the time being.

"It's a gang effort," Casey said, asked about replacing Johnson, who has become a valuable piece of his second unit early in the season. "Someone's got to take up that slot. Next man up. Just because a man is down, the next guy behind him has got to be ready to play, to perform. Whoever that is, whether it's putting DeMar [DeRozan] more at the three, or whatever the situation may call, we've got to be ready to attack, next man up. Injuries are part of the NBA. That's why you have 15 men to a roster."

In his second stint with the Raptors, Johnson is logging just under 20 minutes per night, most since 2011-12, his last campaign with Toronto. The injury comes at an especially inopportune time for the 27-year-old, who was in the early stages of putting together a career season.

Averaging 7.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and over one steal and block over the first 10 games - while shooting a career-best 57 per cent from the field - Johnson has been Toronto's unsung hero off the bench.

While the same size is still unquestionably limited, in the 194 minutes that Johnson has played this year, the Raptors are holding opponents to 89.6 points per 100 possessions, the best mark of anyone on the team. They're allowing nearly 19 points more (108.3) per 100 possessions in the 286 minutes he's spent on the bench.

Of course, so much of that is a testament to his versatility - his ability to switch off on almost any player, defending nearly every position on the floor and co-existing in whichever unit he's out there with.

Offensively, he's been a pleasant surprise.

"James has been playing very under control, within himself is what I like to call it," Casey said ahead of Saturday's game. "He watches film diligently and studies the film. He's not trying to do too much. He's cut down on a lot of those mistakes and playing within himself has really, really given him an opportunity to score more and have the ball in his hands and build the trust with him teammates."

Without Johnson in the lineup, assuming he does miss time, Casey will lean on his regulars - DeRozan, Terrence Ross, Lou Williams, among others - to log more minutes, but he'll more than likely stick with a 10-man rotation, with Landry Fields stepping in as early as Wednesday.

Fields, a five-year vet, has appeared in just three games this season, all in garbage time at the end of lopsided victories. He was unavailable for two contests last week with a bout of the flu.