Should the Raptors sell high on Jakob Poeltl after back-to-back dominance?

It's truly a delightful sight to witness Jakob Poeltl thriving during what is undoubtedly his best stretch of basketball with the Raptors to date.

For Poeltl to step up as the team's knight in shining armor was certainly not something many Raptors fans had on their bingo cards heading into the 2024-25 season.

Without a doubt, the praise and recognition for Poeltl's underrated efforts mark a significant departure from the usual negative discourse that has surrounded the Austrian center since Toronto decided to take a gamble in reacquiring his services.

Poeltl has silenced the haters, giving them little reason to nitpick his game, especially after two impactful performances in back-to-back Raptors contests.

Jakob Poeltl's impact on the Raptors cannot be denied

On November 15, in a game against the Detroit Pistons, Poeltl showcased an impressive stat line: 25 points, a career-high 19 rebounds, and three assists. He followed that incredible performance with an encore on November 16 against the Boston Celtics, where he recorded a career-high 35 points and 12 rebounds, shooting a remarkable 16 for 19 from the field.

Even Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla acknowledged Poeltl's imposing performance after he challenged Boston with a tough test.

With this unexpected surge in his performance, Jakob Poeltl is rapidly establishing himself as one of the league's most underappreciated big men. However, this rise in Poeltl's stock leaves Toronto facing a whirlwind of questions to consider.

Toronto's front office will be flustered about Poeltl's future

Poeltl is now displaying his skills to match his nearly $20 million price tag after the Raptors secured him with a four-year extension in the 2023 offseason. The front office will need to firmly trust in Poeltl's ability to maintain this momentum for the duration of his contract. Similarly, they need to evaluate his fit within the young Raptors roster and weigh the pros and cons of him staying versus leaving.

The obvious answer right now would be to simply retain Poeltl, as he is playing the best basketball of his career. However, the Raptors have previously demonstrated a willingness to trade players who are having strong statistical seasons, thereby maximizing their value—much like they did with Norman Powell.

On the other hand, the team has demonstrated that they perform considerably worse when Poeltl is off the floor, but that doesn’t mean he’s the guardian angel, either. It's truly a double-edged sword for Toronto. While it’s great to see a veteran like Poeltl rise to the occasion, he remains a polarizing figure among Raptors fans.

You can count the countless times that social media rhetoric has called for his dismissal from the team following strings of inconsistent performances. So, is this stretch of career-best play just a ruse, or is it something different? Is Poeltl truly an evolving player, even at the age of 29?

Moreover, will the Raptors front office play their cards well and trade Poeltl while his value is arguably higher than when they acquired him? A team like the Oklahoma City Thunder could certainly use some big man depth right now, or even an Eastern Conference foe like the New York Knicks.

The bigger question is what assets those types of teams provide in return. Toronto has demonstrated in the past that they can transform players into game-changing assets. Is Jakob Poeltl the next one on that list? Perhaps a bit more time is necessary before fans truly discover the truth.