Everything Jakob Poeltl

[mjt20mik]

He looks like Nik Vucevic man.. so many resemblances

[Maury]

The way he moves and his physical tools are very similar to Bargnani. He could play 4 or the 5. Depends on the how Masai wants to built this team.

Take that back! I was just starting to come around to this pick 😭.

[Doc]

Bargnani's problem was he was lazy. He had all the skill in the world to be a star both ways. This guy Poeltl doesn't sound like laziness will be an issue.

From everything I read since last night, I've heard him being referred to as a "gym rat" multiple times. So the work ethic will certainly be there.

[MACK11]

One of his biggest weaknesses are.

1. He gets bodied to easily by other Bigs, apparently has a weak base. They also question his toughness. So him playing PF seems more likely now.

[Chr1s1anL]

Chad Ford's draft grade

Toronto Raptors: B-

Round 1: Jakob Poeltl (9)

Round 2: Pascal Siakam (27)


The Raptors got this pick from the Knicks as part of the Andrea Bargnani deal. They did just fine.

Poeltl will be in the league for a decade as a great backup or solid starter. He has soft hands, protects the rim and is very skilled. He doesn't have the highest ceiling, and he needs to get tougher and improve his jump shot, but he gives them insurance should Bismack Biyombo leave in free agency.

Siakam is a Masai Ujiri-type player all the way. He is tough, has a great motor, rebounds and blocks.

I wonder if the Raptors missed an opportunity to swing for the fences on players like Thon Maker, Skal Labissiere and Cheick Diallo. The picks they made were safer. I'm just not used to the Raptors playing it safe.

[Letter N]

Don't know anything about this Siakam kid but really wish we had swung for the fences with the 27th pick, had nothing to lose in picking Labissiere. If he was able to live up to earlier projections he'd be the steal of the draft and if not who cares it's the 27th pick being made by the Eastern Conference finalists.

[thead]

Jacob Poeletltelelltltltlelelltlell press conference at 3pm est

It's 12:30 as of this post so in 2.5 hours from now all you Austrians

www.raptors.com/live

[Bendit]

Is this website like THE ONION?

I believe it's Bill Simmons' new venture. Bill being Bill. I'd like to know what he think's about Ainge's night at the office.

[Bendit]

Don't know anything about this Siakam kid but really wish we had swung for the fences with the 27th pick, had nothing to lose in picking Labissiere. If he was able to live up to earlier projections he'd be the steal of the draft and if not who cares it's the 27th pick being made by the Eastern Conference finalists.

Take a listen at Zarar's podcast from last night (the second segment with Tamblyn) ....she had some interesting background/take on him.

[tDotted]

Slept on it some and I can live with it. I think his physical profile will give him trade value down the line if necessary. Excited to see him in the Summer League.

[Primer]

Ok, after watching all these videos and reading more about him, I've come around on Poeltl.

I honestly think this was a Drummond-Ross scenario, except we didn't do the stupid thing and pass on the better player to go for a need (although I think Poeltl plays PF for us until he fills out, just like KAT and KP played PF last year). I was upset at draft time because I thought Davis or Luwawu would have been better picks, but I trust the collective knowledge of all the NBA front offices, and nobody wanted those guys until much later in the draft.

So it really came down to Poeltl or Sabonis, and Poeltl is 3 inches taller, 6 inch longer reach, and much more mobile and way better defensively. I'm also thinking back to the video where Poeltl was compared to Simmons, and the analyst mentioned that players who grew up with an NBA dad are typically finished products by the time they get to the NBA and don't progress much. Sabonis has an NBA dad, he's been playing ball his entire life. Poeltl had swimmers for parents and is from Austria, he started playing basketball much later, so I'd say he has a lot more room for improvement than Sabonis does. Plus DEFENSE, Sabonis will never be a good defender, and Poeltl already is.

Also, people pissed about not swinging for the fences with the 27th pick, I would definitely call Siakam swinging for the fences. Despite his age (which may be the exact same age as Maker), the guy just started playing basketball recently and already has an elite skill in rebounding (particularly offensive rebounding), being referred to as Tristan Thompson lite. He also has a freakish wingspan that is even longer than Poeltl's. I think with a year of development in the D-League he has the potential to be a better version of Biz, because he doesn't have stone hands. Just look at how much better he got from his freshman year to his sophomore year, guy still has a lot of room to grow.

So, all in all, I think we just made our team pretty deep at the 4/5 for the foreseeable future.

I'd still like a trade for a currently ready NBA PF, and I think these picks give us a lot more options with who we can send out. If you're bringing back a starting PF I think you can send out PPat, CoJo, Ross, and one of our 1sts next year. Fingers crossed Atlanta wants to get younger and blow it up a bit, sending us Millsap for that package.

[Chr1s1anL]

Take a listen at Zarar's podcast from last night (the second segment with Tamblyn) ....she had some interesting background/take on him.

They brought up some interesting topics like Poeltl maybe being a replacement for JV and not Biz. Free agency should be interesting.

[Bendit]

A nice piece by JP's home town newspaper after being drafted.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/8...NBA-draft.html

[Apollo]

One of his biggest weaknesses are.

1. He gets bodied to easily by other Bigs, apparently has a weak base. They also question his toughness. So him playing PF seems more likely now.

Lower body strength can be gained. He just needs to get in the gym and eat like a horse.

[Primer]

They brought up some interesting topics like Poeltl maybe being a replacement for JV and not Biz. Free agency should be interesting.

People are still clinging to the belief Biz will be back? He's good as gone guys, he simply isn't worth the salary he'll command this offseason, and we don't have the money to pay him anyways. Biz is a nice player, but I don't think he brings anything a guy like Siakam won't be able to bring.