3 Raptors who must step up after polarizing Jakob Poeltl trade
By Mike Luciano
Masai Ujiri and the Toronto Raptors could have blown things up at the trade deadline, trading away names like Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby, and Gary Trent Jr. for bench players and draft picks. Instead, Toronto emerged as buyers, trading for Spurs big man Jakob Poeltl.
Ujiri seems to be committed to head coach Nick Nurse and the style of basketball he is trying to play, which is a bit of a risk given all of the struggles the Raptors have endured in their lackluster 26-31 season. However, Poeltl’s rim protection provides Toronto with one of the traits they’ve been missing sorely in the last few months.
Toronto will need to go 15-10 in their remaining 25 games to hit .500, which should give them a reasonable shot of hosting at least one play-in game at home. While making the playoffs as a No. 8 seed is not an ideal outcome for someone, I will never begrudge a team for making an effort to win.
If the Raptors want to make good on that goal with Poeltl in the fray, they will need standout performances from these three players on their roster. This trio starting to improve and become the best possible versions of itself could vault Toronto back to the postseason.
3 Toronto Raptors who must step up after Jakob Poeltl trade.
3. Joe Wieskamp
Is it unfair to put Wieskamp, who just signed a standard Raptors multi-year contract in the Justin Champagnie/DJ Wilson/Armoni Brooks vein, on this list? Not at all. Rather than pursue a buyout target, there’s a reason that Toronto decided to use their last remaining roster spot on Wieskamp.
The Raptors remain a poor offensive team, and Wieskamp’s shooting is perhaps the only reason that Toronto chose to bring him back. Whereas Juancho Hernangomez has not been able to snipe from 3-point range as effectively as Nick Nurse would have liked, Wieskamp nailed all three of his triples.
Will Joe Wieskamp play a role for the Toronto Raptors?
Nurse has shown that he is willing to try out all sorts of unusual lineup combinations. If Wieskamp’s shooting provides more value than Hernangomez’s collection of skills or Malachi Flynn’s inconsistent offensive game, Nurse will likely stick with him for the remainder of the season.
Ujiri hinted that the final quarter of the season will be an evaluation period in which he will determine how valuable impending free agents like Poeltl and VanVleet will be. Wieskamp could establish himself as a bench piece if he comes out firing in his first allotments of playing time.