Jakob Poeltl had a pretty good inkling a change was coming Wednesday night when he took the court against the Toronto Raptors in what would be his final game with the San Antonio Spurs.
Nothing was official until early Thursday morning, but talks between the two clubs were well underway and Poeltl knew a reunion in Toronto was near. Then, shortly after midnight, came the call Poeltl had been expecting. Toronto had given up Khem Birch, a 2024 first-round pick, and two second-round picks to bring the 7-foot-1 Austrian back north of the border.
"It was a little bit of mixed emotions," Poeltl said Friday morning as he dawned his Raptors shootaround shirt for the first time since being dealt alongside DeMar DeRozan in the Kawhi Leonard deal of 2018. "This past season was a little bit tough because we’ve been losing games so I was excited to get out there and play winning basketball again and play for a playoff spot, go out there and compete again. Those are things that very much excited me. And then also just having guys here that I was familiar with, like getting back with P, Fred, O.G., and all those guys."
Free Agent Fit
After four and a half years away from Toronto, Poeltl isn't expecting his time with the Raptors to be coming to an end anytime soon. Despite being on an expiring contract this year, both he and the organization are confident they'll be able to work out a deal to keep the big man with the team for at least the next few seasons.
"I think they wouldn't have traded for me if they don't see it as a long-term option," said Poeltl, echoing the sentiment of Raptors President and Vice-Chairman Masai Ujiri. "It's definitely something I think I can see for the long term as well."
Changing his Game
When Poeltl left Toronto in 2018, he was a bench role player for the Raptors, a 22-year-old prospect who'd averaged 6.9 points and 4.8 rebounds while playing just 18.6 minutes per game as a sophomore. Nearly five years later, Poeltl's development has been outstanding. He's increased his scoring to 12.1 points with nine rebounds per game and ranks among the league leaders in field goal percentage at 61.6%.
"I think a lot of it has come with maturity, just trying to read the game and play different types of roles," Poeltl said. "I’ve played some very supportive roles and then lately I’ve been playing more active, like trying to be a little bit of a playmaker out there.
"Obviously, you develop all this stuff, your tough gets a little bit better, your shot gets a little bit better, all these things, your skills develop. But I think just reading the game, everything is slowing down, making the right reads, making plays for my teammates has really been something that I’ve been focusing on lately and I’m having more success with."
Availability Friday
Poeltl is officially listed as questionable to play against the Utah Jazz on Friday night.
"If they let me, I'm definitely going to play," Poeltl said. "It just depends on the trade getting cleared and all this stuff."
His availability should be updated around 5:45.
Number Change
Poeltl changed his number from 42 the last time he played in Toronto to 19 this time.
Why?
“I changed it up because I felt like it was a new chapter here," he said. "The 42 was my first two years here and then I wanted to change it up. 19? That’s personal, I’m not going to tell you that."
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