Raptors need more from Jakob Poeltl next season

Jakob Poeltl showed major improvement in his second season with the Raptors. If he’s going to earn even more minutes next year, there’s one thing in particular he must improve on.

One of the most pleasant surprises of the Toronto Raptors regular season was the play of Jakob Poeltl. This was the Austrian center’s second year in the NBA, and I expected incremental improvement. Instead he displayed a number of positive skills I didn’t know he had, and earned himself a lot more playing time.

Poeltl was an unexpected pick by the Raptors at the #9 spot in the 2016 draft. He played with Delon Wright at the University of Utah, and our previous year’s selection gave a positive recommendation about Poeltl to Masai Ujiri.

TORONTO, ON – MAY 01: George Hill #3 of the Cleveland Cavaliers shoots the ball as Jakob Poeltl #42 and Delon Wright #55 of the Toronto Raptors defend in the second half of Game One of the Eastern Conference Semifinals during the 2018 NBA Playoffs at Air Canada Centre on May 1, 2018 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) /

The 2016 class has been disappointing so far. Even Ben Simmons, the #1 pick who shows every sign of becoming a major star, hasn’t got a professional-quality jump shot. No one selected after Poeltl has leapt into the league’s front ranks. In fact, given that Pascal Siakam, was an excellent selection at #27, the Raptors have been well-compensated from a weak draft crop.

Some rookies and even sophomores play like they are frightened of making a mistake, so don’t end up influencing their teams in a positive manner. Neither Jakob nor Pascal has demonstrated that weakness.

Variety is critical

One thing I never want to see when considering roster composition is duplication. If we have one beefy, slow-footed center, do we really want a second one? What would be welcome from Jakob is the ability to become a stretch-5. I don’t remember if the term was in common parlance when Andrea Bargnani was drafted, but that’s what all of us Raptors fans expected him to become. He showed flashes of it throughout his NBA career, interspersed with an obliviousness about defense which drove us up a wall.

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Jakob has already shown more defensive determination and skill than Bargnani ever managed. Poeltl has become a skilled shot blocker, which is for me the biggest surprise of all he’s shown so far. He averaged 1.2 blocks in 18.6 minutes per game last season, an excellent ratio. His rate of blocks per 36 minutes doubled from his rookie year.

Poeltl has demonstrated skill on offense, including rebounding and well-timed flash cuts. However, if he’s going to push Jonas Valanciunas to the bench, or off the team, he’ll need to develop his outside shooting. Over 94% of his shot attempts were within 10 feet of the basket.

Pascal’s 3-point shot attempts in 2017-18 skyrocketed compared to his rookie season, from 0.3 to 2.8 per 36 minutes. His make-percentage increased, though only to an unacceptable 22%. (He made 3 of 4 tries in the playoffs – can he bottle that?) I mention this data to demonstrate that massive increase in attempts is possible, if a player has shown he’s willing to put in the work to improve.

Hoist up those long balls, big guy

Before Jakob can take shots in actual games, he needs the concurrence of his coach, which in the case of the Raptors is a vacancy. Regardless, here’s hoping Jakob is putting up thousands of long balls this summer. That’s the best way he can show the new head person (I’m building up my Political Correctness brownie points) he’s worthy of having a few plays drawn up for him.

I’m not prepared to say Poeltl has a low ceiling, meaning we should be content with what we’re getting. He surprised me greatly with his improvement in his second season, and I’d be thrilled if he could somehow manage to grow his game in Year Three. The Raptors could certainly use a Kelly Olynyk-type with more defensive chops. If Jakob proves to be that man (at a far cheaper price), the rippling effects on the roster will be most interesting.

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