Sometimes, a team can have a good loss.

Perhaps the players on that team would disagree and insist that no loss is ever good. But in some cases, a defeat can tell you plenty about your squad, your style of play and even offer a glimpse into the future.

That was certainly the case with Hapoel Jerusalem’s 88-71 loss to Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Winner Cup semifinals.

The Winner Cup is essentially a preseason tournament that gives first-division teams a chance to prepare for the upcoming league campaign in a competitive environment. It allows coaches and players to test lineups, work on their systems and identify areas that need improvement before the games that really count begin.

In that sense, it is similar to the Toto Cup in Israeli soccer, where teams use competitive matches as a final testing ground before the season gets underway in earnest. The Winner Cup final itself is played during the season, but for the other games, the primary goal is preparation rather than results.

Sasa Obradovic, Jerusalem’s head coach, certainly would have liked to come away with a win against a struggling Maccabi team. But all things considered, the defeat also gave him and his players an experience they can build on going forward.

Jerusalem is a talented team and a fun one to watch. The Reds will be among the Israeli league heavyweights and, at this point, can dispose of smaller opponents with relative ease, as we have already seen.

Whether it was the Rostock Seawolves in the EuroCup last week or Bnei Herzliya in the Winner Cup quarterfinals, those games did not pose a major problem for Jerusalem.

Sure, Obradovic’s squad had to work for those wins, as it always will. You have to put in the work to get the desired results. But the truth is that Rostock and Herzliya are not EuroLeague-caliber teams.

Enter Maccabi Tel Aviv.

The yellow-and-blue are a tall order for any team that does not play in the EuroLeague, even if Oded Katash’s squad entered the Winner Cup having opened its continental campaign 0-3.

Maccabi brings a higher level of intensity and aggression, a deeper and more well-rounded group of talented players and, arguably, the best collection of Israeli players in the country. That presents an entirely different set of problems for the rest of the league.

For Obradovic’s team, this was a valuable opportunity to play against a EuroLeague opponent that is already in the midst of its season. The game allowed him to see the gaps between the two sides and identify areas that need to be addressed so that Jerusalem can better handle the difficult moments that lie ahead.

That will be especially important in the EuroCup, where the club’s ultimate goal is to win the competition and earn a ticket to the top league in Europe.

The experience was invaluable, and there is no question that Jerusalem learned a thing or two over the course of those 40 minutes.

Was it how the Reds responded after taking a 25-15 lead in the second quarter, only to enter halftime with a slim 32-31 advantage?

Was it the way they allowed Maccabi’s toughness, led primarily by Oshae Brissett, to dictate the game in the second half?

Or was it the perimeter defense down the stretch that allowed Iffe Lundberg to heat up and knock down one three-pointer after another?

These are all things Hapoel Jerusalem can chew on and analyze going forward as it looks for ways to improve.

Ultimately, however, the biggest issue Obradovic had to take from this Winner Cup clash was the absence of two-time MVP Jared Harper, who is injured and will not return for several more months.

Kenny Lofton Jr. was not as dominant as he had been in Jerusalem’s previous games, while Shake Milton and Jaleen Smith also struggled. But what was unmistakably missing was Harper, who could have opened up the floor and led the attack.

That is why Jerusalem brought in Lorenzo Brown, at least in the short term, to provide the type of floor generalship the team will need when the pressure is on. Against a team like Maccabi, not having a true point guard was particularly noticeable.

One question that can be asked is why Roi Huber did not see a single minute of playing time. The likely answer is that Obradovic does not yet trust him against a top-tier opponent and may not view him as physically big enough for the demands of the position at this level.

Against teams such as Eilat, Galilee, Ashdod or Rishon LeZion, perhaps Obradovic would be more comfortable giving Huber significant minutes. Against Maccabi, however, that was never going to happen.

All in all, the players and coaching staff have plenty to digest and plenty to analyze after this preseason experience against Maccabi. And that is exactly what the Winner Cup is supposed to provide.

Jerusalem’s ultimate goal is to find a way into the EuroLeague and become the third Israeli team in the competition. If that is going to happen, the Reds will have to learn from games like this one.

As much as it may hurt to say it, this loss was a good one for Hapoel Jerusalem.