Raptors Center Discusses Toronto's Future Vision & Being Benched for 'Rest'

Jakob Poeltl didn’t want to be in this situation.

When the Austrian center was traded by the San Antonio Spurs in 2022, he was eager to join a team with genuine playoff aspirations. The Toronto Raptors appeared to offer exactly that, a chance for Poeltl to anchor the frontcourt and help push the team toward postseason success.

"The only thing that was important to me is that I want on a team that could play competitive basketball," he said following the trade in 2022. "As long as it’s not a team that was really actively trying to tank, I guess, was the thing for me. I want to play on a team that’s trying to win every night."

Oh, how times have changed.

Poeltl finds himself exactly where he didn't want to be, on a Raptors team openly prioritizing lottery odds over wins in the final stretch of the season. Toronto has made no secret of its plan, resting Poeltl in two of the last three games and significantly reducing his playing time in key moments, signaling a clear commitment to long-term goals over short-term success.

It’s a strategy that — for better or for worse — makes sense.

Look no further than Poeltl’s former team, which took a similar approach in 2022, landed Victor Wembanyama with the No. 1 pick, and radically changed the organization’s future. Toronto is hoping for a similar outcome, eyeing one of the top prospects in this year’s class while clinging to the league’s fifth-worst record and a 10.5% chance at landing Cooper Flagg with the top pick.

But for the players, this approach is a little awkward.

"For me personally, sometimes it's hard to watch because you're itching to be out there. You want to play," Poeltl admitted Tuesday after sitting out against the Utah Jazz. "But it's also really cool to see a lot of young guys get a lot of minutes and see them thrive out there. They get more opportunities to really show what they can do."

Despite the frustration, Poeltl has accepted Toronto’s vision. It may not be what he envisioned, but he understands the bigger picture and recognizes that his sacrifice might help the organization build something stronger in the future.

And so this tanking dance has become routine for Poeltl. The front office or coaching staff tells him when he will sit, and he goes along with the plan.

"Those guys are my bosses at the end of the day," he said. "If they want me to play, I'll play. If they don’t want me to play, I won’t play. And I’m sure they know what they’re doing."

Beyond wins and losses, this stretch has allowed Toronto to evaluate its young talent. A.J. Lawson had a breakout performance against Utah. Ja’Kobe Walter, Jamal Shead, and Jared Rhoden have all taken advantage of their opportunities. For Poeltl, watching those players grow has been rewarding, even in an otherwise frustrating season.

The hope for Toronto is that it will all be worth it.

Poeltl is expected to return next season alongside a more developed roster featuring Brandon Ingram and ideally with a blue-chip prospect in the mix. If things break right, the Raptors should be back in the playoff hunt sooner rather than later. For now, though, it will take a little more losing, a few more off nights for Poeltl, and plenty of patience before they get there.

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