Despite an offseason worthy of hype, the Atlanta Hawks fell flat in their season opener Wednesday night, dropping a 138-118 blowout at the hands of the Toronto Raptors at State Farm Arena. Three 20-point nights from Jalen Johnson, Trae Young, and Kristaps Porzingis weren’t enough, as a young Toronto squad ran through Quin Snyder’s team.
At the forefront of the 20-point defeat was a slew of defensive issues. Toronto blew by Atlanta’s perimeter defenders time and time again, forcing quick rotations and potential missed assignments. What followed was an eye-popping 86 points in the paint for the Raptors, 30 more than Atlanta recorded.
Those 86 paint points are the most allowed by Atlanta in over 20 seasons, per FanSided's own Brad Rowland.
Against an NBA offense, such struggles on the perimeter can have lasting effects. Raptors centers Jakob Poeltl and Sandro Mamukelashvili combined for 21 points on 10-for-14 shooting. Several times, they were the beneficiary of drop-off passes when their man was forced to help onto the other side of the floor.
Atlanta’s on-ball defense must improve if the team wants to contend
The road won’t get any easier for the Hawks. Sure, Poeltl is a solid center that has been valued highly for a while, but he’s not a top-flight player. If the team wants to contend for a top-six spot in the weaker Eastern Conference, they have to contain the ballhandler better than they showed against Toronto.
Perhaps the biggest culprit of the perimeter defense was Luke Kennard. Though the 9th-year pro has never been mistaken for an All-Defense team member, he conceded easy drives to the basket far too often on Wednesday. If Kennard can be a league-average defender, his value to Atlanta can skyrocket. Time will tell whether he can reach that mark.
Heading into the 2025 season, Atlanta boasted a strong frontcourt presence with Kristaps Porzingis and Onyeka Okongwu. New addition Porzingis blocked a pair of shots in the first half, and was serviceable as a paint big. Okongwu, on the other hand, struggled mightily against Toronto’s size. If the perimeter defense is going to be as weak as it was today, the big men will have to be on top of their game.
In their next matchup, the Hawks will have another opportunity to tangle with a quality (but not star) opposing center. Orlando’s Wendell Carter Jr. posted a 9-point, 8-rebound outing on Wednesday night, helping the Magic to a 125-121 victory over division rival Miami.