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His response to what parts of his game were most affected by the injury was probably as telling as anything.

“It’s everything,” he said. “Laterally, running, jumping, pushing off it, just everything.”

Photo by Ezra Shaw / Getty Images

Once doctors and team medical staff give him a thorough examination, and based on this team’s history, details and prognosis of the injury won’t be revealed until they have conceived a complete course of action.

Raptors head coach Dwane Casey admitted the Raptors missed Patterson quite a bit in the game (he went out with 9:50 left in the second quarter and didn’t return) but the bigger concern is the longer term and how the team will adjust if this turns out to be serious.

In the immediate aftermath of the game, Lowry, like most professionals are apt to do, threw out the “next man up” reference when asked about how the team handled things without Patterson.

“It takes away a spacer, a floor spacer and a knockdown shooter from three,” Lowry said. “It takes a guy out who can guard bigger guys.”

All of which is true but as is always the case with a player of Patterson’s ilk, his contributions aren’t easily summed up in a few words or by a listing of stats.

Patterson’s impact isn’t the kind that can be measured with basic boxscore statistics. His game averages – 7.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.35 blocks – don’t begin to tell the story of what he does for this team.

He’s that glue guy who makes all the parts around him better. Defensively he is always where he needs to be, always making the proper switch and calling it out loudly for his teammates. He knows exactly where he needs to be and what he needs to be doing on the court at every moment and that makes everyone around him more efficient.

Take that away and it’s likely going to mean big adjustments for everyone on the roster.

Rookie Pascal Siakam has been starting at power forward all season and learning on the fly. That will continue but without Patterson there to shore things up at the position and with Jared Sullinger still at least a month away from returning, this would be a big hole on the roster should the injury be a long term one.

mganter@postmedia.com