Lack of size, grit threaten to stall Raptors promising start

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Of course the Raptors were going to miss RJ Barrett’s presence on the offensive end of the floor while knowing his defensive floor isn’t that high.

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Of course the Raptors could have used both Barrett and Jakob Poeltl on Sunday night in New York, when the Knicks exposed the many deficiencies to Toronto’s roster.

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A two-game losing streak shouldn’t force anyone to rush for the panic button just like a nine-game win streak didn’t compel anyone to plan a parade route.

Up by as many as 17 points Saturday night in Charlotte before the Hornets took their first lead in overtime and then down by as many as 24 points to the Knicks, the Raptors’ weekend was a whirlwind.

The good news is the Raptors will be home for the next five games, beginning Tuesday night when Portland comes to town.

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This extended stretch ends with the Knicks in town for a much-anticipated quarterfinal matchup in the NBA Cup on Dec. 9 with a trip to Las Vegas on the line.

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The Raptors have lost their past nine games to the Knicks, but figure to put up a better effort in the return meeting in Toronto next week.

The biggest takeaway from the Raptors’ lost weekend was the play of Brandon Ingram.

The hope is that his fourth-quarter struggles in Charlotte that bled into Sunday’s off game are an outlier.

Inexcusable defence

The hope is that his non-existent defence on a close-out late in regulation Saturday with sharpshooter Kon Knueppel open along the baseline was an aberration.

Ingram isn’t known for his defence, but that sequence was inexcusable — a made three by the rookie that sent the game into the extra five-minute quarter.

No one seemed to question Darko Rajakovic for putting the ball in Ingram’s hands on a potential game-winning possession when the same Ingram had buried the game winner against Indiana.

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However, with the way Scottie Barnes was imposing his will against the Hornets, a play should have been drawn up for him to get the ball and not Ingram.

By playing Poeltl in Charlotte, the Raptors essentially showed their hands for the Knicks tip.

Poeltl’s injury-management status precludes him from playing back-to-back games and his absence was quite noticeable in New York, where the Raptors went with Jamison Battle in a small starting unit.

As if anyone needed a reminder, the night revealed how this roster is in desperate need of a backup big.

In general, the weekend underlined the Raptors’ lack of a ‘dawg’ factor, a complementary slang term used to describe a player who is gritty, tenacious and relentless, among other attributes.

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If anyone can point out a dawg on the Raptors roster, feel free to pass it along.

Will must be imposed

Barnes has shown flashes, but he has to demand the ball and impose his will on games even more than he has done this season.

Ingram is a bucket-getter, plain and simple. When his shot isn’t dropping, like it was in the fourth quarter and into OT in Charlotte and in New York where he missed his first five attempts, his impact on games is minimal because of his questionable defence.

Miles Bridges was a dawg on Saturday and lit it up the Raptors for a game-high 35 points.

Josh Hart is the very definition of a dawg and had 20 points while hauleing down 12 rebounds for the Knicks in Sunday’s win. He also added seven assists.

With two starters out, it would have been foolish to view Sunday’s date in Manhattan as some kind of measuring stick for the Raptors.

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The Knicks advanced to the Eastern Conference final and appointed Mike Brown as head coach this season hoping to take that next step.

The Raptors have taken strides this season, but no one should ever lose sight of the long road that awaits a team hoping to take their own step.

Knicks are superior

The Knicks are better than the Raptors and will be for the foreseeable future.

Yielding 41 points in the opening quarter to the Knicks is not good, evoking memories of the Raptors’ early season deficiencies on defence when they lost four in a row after winning the season opener in Atlanta.

The Knicks produced 25 offensive rebounds in their win and ended the night with a plus-21 advantage on the glass.

Size matters and without Poeltl the Raptors desperately lack it.

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Depth matters and when a team decides to start Battle, the battle lines have been clearly drawn.

No wonder the Raptors managed to score only 22 points in the opening 12 minutes Sunday night.

And when Ingram is completely reduced to a non-factor, the metaphorical white flag is raised. His minus-22 rating was by far the worst of any player and his five turnovers one more than the four shots he made.

Playing bad teams will allow a decent team such as the Raptors to reel off nine wins in succession, but perspective was lost amid the winning.

Perspective also is required with the Raptors back home.

The Dec. 9 matchup with the Knicks will tell a lot, but there are games featuring Luka Doncic and the Lakers, Toronto’s third meeting of the season with Charlotte and a first against Boston before a trip to Las Vegas will be at stake.

fzicarelli@postmedia.com

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