Jakob Poeltl’s season hasn’t been easy so far. He missed a lot of time due to his bad back and often looked nothing like the player Raptors fans saw in the last three seasons—which made his massive untradeable contract look even more questionable than it already had.
And yet, the Raptors missed a healthy Poeltl. RJ Barrett, for one, is thrilled to have the big man back.
After a much-needed win over the Dallas Mavericks, Barrett said, “Jak was responsible for like 10 of my points. He just sets great screens, bigs got to worry about him…His screening and rolling set a lot of things up, especially for me when I’m coming off screens like that. He’s getting rebounds, blocking shots, doing everything. So, it’s a great thing to have Jak back.”
The Raptors need Barrett at his best to end the season strong and find some playoff success. Poeltl can help with that—If he can stay healthy.
Poeltl played a few good games
Poeltl’s performance against the San Antonio Spurs marked his best game in a while. He recorded 15 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, and 1 steal—a valiant effort in a 110-107 loss. He played another strong game against the Wizards before producing relatively little in losses against the Knicks and Timberwolves.
Much like the rest of the team, Poeltl bounced back against the Mavericks and recorded 16 points on 8-9 shooting, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, and 1 steal.
After a string of losses to good teams, the Raptors desperately needed a win. Poeltl wasn’t the only one who took advantage of the struggling Mavericks. Ja’Kobe Walter was a +24 off the bench, and RJ Barrett scored a season-high 31 points. Barrett became the eighth Canadian to score 8,000 career points in the NBA.
The Raptors still need Poeltl
The Raptors may still try to move on from Poeltl after this season, but right now, they still need him, and they need him to play well. His rebounding, defense, and size could make a real difference down the line, especially if it continues to help Barrett play well. Plus, rookie Collin Murray-Boyles is still out, which makes Poeltl even more important to this team.
Just a few unnecessary losses could quickly change the trajectory of the Raptors’ season. There’s not much separation between the Raptors and the teams occupying seeds six to 10.
The Magic and Heat are both only one game behind the Raptors, and the Hawks and Hornets are doing their best to rise through the standings. Atlanta is on a six-game win streak, and the Hornets finally figured out how to win with their young core.