5 things: VanVleet's health a major concern for Raptors after ugly loss

Here are five takeaways from the Toronto Raptors' 125-93 loss to the Charlotte Hornets:

One -- The challenge in assessing a blowout of this nature is to sift through the noise. The Raptors clearly did not have it tonight, trailing 14-2 from the jump and never once threatening to launch a comeback or to play any semblance of coherent defence.

Fred VanVleet is also dealing with lingering knee soreness, and Pascal Siakam was revealed afterwards to have played through flu-like symptoms, which all points to this being one of those nights where you just discard the result since it's an outlier. But there were other concerning trends that could carry over through a decisive stretch for the Raptors as they look to cement a playoff spot that they have worked so hard to hold through the first two-thirds of the season.

The Raptors are 1-3 since going on an eight-game win streak, and two of those losses have been 30-point blowouts. You can't just discard that as a coincidence just because it's more convenient or comfortable. There are some tangible issues for the team to solve. After all, the team was competitive in every single game for over two months, so this is very much out of character. 

Two -- The main concern is VanVleet's health. VanVleet said before the game that his knee continues to bother him despite taking a week off, and it shows. Outside of a five-minute stretch where he nailed two jumpers and stubbornly forced his way to the basket, VanVleet looked like a shadow of the All-Star form that he showed earlier in the year.

He looked laboured in his movements, he had no burst to get downhill, even when he did get into the paint he didn't create enough separation which resulted in blocks, and his jumpers were significantly off. It goes without saying that VanVleet is irreplaceable, and without any dependable depth at point guard, the Raptors will struggle to be competitive without him at his best against quality opponents.

One solution is to shift even more of the playmaking over to Siakam, who has played entire games as the de facto point guard this season, which would allow VanVleet to conserve his energy for playing defence and attacking off-ball.    

Three -- The Raptors made a strange decision to ditch their substitution pattern that carried them through the past six weeks. OG Anunoby's finger is already a major disruption, but Nick Nurse went a few steps further by scrapping the whole plan.

Khem Birch being inserted into the starting lineup isn't a surprise, given that the Raptors had an obvious weakness at centre. Although, he hasn't exactly excelled in his play to warrant the promotion and his only memorable moment was to be posterized by Mason Plumlee. But what's strange is that Nurse also chose to change up the way his lineups worked.

The usual pattern is for VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr. to sustain the offence by playing all of the first quarter, while Siakam gets an early breather. Then, it would be Siakam's turn, along with Anunoby when available, to lead the second unit while the guards get their rest before returning to close the half. Tonight, Nurse took Siakam out early, then brought him back after a three-minute breather in the first quarter to relieve VanVleet, then the two were both on the floor to start the second quarter.

Meanwhile, the combination of Precious Achiuwa and Chris Boucher typically provide energy in the middle of quarters, but they were asked to close out the first half instead of the typical starting group that would finish the half. Maybe it was just a case of Nurse trying to manage VanVleet and Siakam on a night when they were both compromised, or perhaps it was just Nurse trying to innovate in an attempt to inspire his team on an off-night, but he shouldn't ditch what was working so well.  

Four -- Thaddeus Young remains an awkward fit. There's just a lot of redundancy in the types of players the Raptors have available, which can sometimes create confusion.

For example. even though Young has primarily played as a forward in his extensive career, it was Young who was tasked to guard the opposing centre even when he shared the floor with Achiuwa and Boucher who routinely play centre. Young looked a step slow in his pick-and-roll coverage, getting beat repeated by LaMelo Ball, but he was hardly the only offender on the night.

Offensively, the lack of spacing for the Raptors remains a major issue. Through the first 46 minutes of the game, the Raptors had just four threes as a team which isn't a surprise considering the lineups that were out there. Young was part of an all-forward lineup where everyone was 6-foot-9 along with Achiuwa, Boucher, Scottie Barnes, and Dalano Banton, but literally all five players are non-shooters who are ignored from the perimeter. It's just strange that the front office chose not to add another shooter when that was already their biggest weakness. 

Five -- Barnes was the only bright spot. He scored a career-high 28 points and showed a commendable determination in getting to the basket. The Hornets do not have credible rim protectors, and on a night where Siakam and VanVleet clearly weren't themselves, Barnes took it upon himself to score.

Outside of a three with a foot on the line, Barnes primarily got his baskets in the paint where he is able to use his strength and length to his advantage. He was able to finish effectively with either hand, and flashed a bit of craft, most notably on a drive where he palmed the ball, faked to the corner by flashing the ball and his eyes, before coming back to the middle for a short floater. It was a page out of Magic Johnson's book.