Gameday: Raptors @ Hawks, Feb. 26

There are losses and then there are losses. Last night was the type of loss where the coach doesn’t even fire up the projector for a film session — there were too many mistakes, too many lapses, to draw attention to even a handful. Nick Nurse prefers to keep film sessions overwhelmingly positive. Players know mistakes. It’s more important to identify exceptional plays, when players go above and beyond, identify schematic brilliancies in advance. Suffice it to say there weren’t many of those against Charlotte.

So, the Atlanta Hawks. They have a ridiculously good offense — second in the league — and miserable defense. Remind you of anyone? Yeah, the Hornets just beat the pants off of the Raptors as an all-offense, no-defense team only last night. Toronto’s gonna have to find a way to slow the Hawks with more backbone than they showed against the Hornets. Really, any amount of backbone.

Trae Young is outrageous at creating advantages in the halfcourt. One of the best in the league. He’s only played one game against the Raptors this year, and Toronto defended him well. He scored well below his season average, at 22 points, and he didn’t hit a three. Toronto won. If they can cut off the head of Atlanta’s snake again, the Raptors should be able to bounce back. Now, VanVleet is Toronto’s premier point guard defender, and he looked laboured against the Hornets. He was questionable coming into the game, so it’s a possibility that Toronto reevaluates his status against Atlanta. In that case, it will fall to perhaps Dalano Banton to stop Young. Regardless of who is the primary, the Raptors will need to help one another, rotate ahead of the ball, and play the tight team defense to which we have become accustomed as fans. Doesn’t matter who’s guarding Young if they don’t do that.

The Raptors are going to be starting from behind with OG Anunoby injured. He is one of three great shooters in the rotation, and he’s the only reliable non-guard shooter. Missing him doesn’t explain Toronto’s performance against Charlotte, and nor does it excuse it. But it can serve as a warning, a cautionary tale, if the Raptors don’t clean up their act. They can get absolutely rocked if they play like this without Anunoby. They were at a season-low in three-point attempts before the bench unloaded some triples in garbage time, which means the Raptors just didn’t create enough advantages on the offensive end to open shots.

They’re gonna have to create more open looks against Atlanta, and they’re gonna have toss them in, too. Mostly, they’re gonna have to play some team defense. We know this team can do all those things. Let’s see it.