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Jakob Pöltl

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Jakob Pöltl
Pöltl with the Toronto Raptors in 2018
No. 19 – Toronto Raptors
PositionCenter
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1995-10-15) October 15, 1995 (age 29)
Vienna, Austria
Listed height7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
Listed weight260 lb (118 kg)
Career information
CollegeUtah (2014–2016)
NBA draft2016: 1st round, 9th overall pick
Selected by the Toronto Raptors
Playing career2013–present
Career history
2013–2014Traiskirchen Lions
2016–2018Toronto Raptors
2016–2017→Raptors 905
2018–2023San Antonio Spurs
2023–presentToronto Raptors
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Jakob Pöltl (sometimes spelled Jakob Poeltl; German pronunciation: ['ja:kop 'pœltl]; born October 15, 1995) is an Austrian professional basketball player for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Utah Utes.

In his sophomore year for the Utes, Pöltl was a consensus second-team All-American, and won the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award and Pete Newell Big Man Award as the top collegiate center and low-post player, respectively. After the season, he declared for the 2016 NBA draft, where the Toronto Raptors selected him in the first round with the ninth overall pick. He was traded to the San Antonio Spurs in July 2018. After five seasons with the team he was traded back to the Raptors in February 2023.

Early life

Pöltl was born in Vienna, Austria. Both his parents were members of the Austrian national volleyball teams. His parents opted for basketball for their son because there was a youth basketball program near their Vienna home during his childhood. Pöltl played seven years in the youth program of Vienna DC Timberwolves. He played one year for the Arkadia Traiskirchen Lions of the Austrian Bundesliga in 2013–14.

College recruitment

Pöltl was relatively unknown in the United States until the 2013 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship. University of Utah assistant Andy Hill went to the tournament, held in Strumica, largely to scout potential prospects from other teams; he only saw Austria's opening game against the Netherlands because he vowed to watch all 38 teams in person. After seeing Pöltl's 15-rebound performance, Hill began sounding Pöltl out for potential interest in playing college basketball in the United States. Pöltl went on to average a double-double in points and rebounds during the tournament and was named to the second all-tournament team, despite Austria going 1–6 and finishing 20th out of 22 teams in the second-level Division B.

Pöltl began drawing interest from several NCAA Division I programs, forcing him to decide between a professional career and a U.S. college education. In a 2014 interview, Pöltl revealed part of his decision-making process:

If I went pro in Europe, I probably wouldn't have a chance to go to a university and get my degree. ... I could have basketball and an education at the same time . Also I think I wasn't ready for 100 percent professional basketball at that time.

In 2014, Pöltl committed to Utah to play college basketball, in large part due to the relationship he had developed with their coaching staff. Utah head coach Larry Krystkowiak was one of three Division I head coaches and two assistant coaches to travel to Vienna to recruit him in person, and made the trip of over 5,000 miles (8,000 km) twice. Pöltl was impressed that Krystkowiak made the effort to visit him in person, and was intrigued that the 6-foot-10-inch (2.08 m) coach played power forward in the NBA and had a history of developing young big men.

College career

Pöltl became a starter in his first year, and in his first game he scored 18 points and had 10 rebounds. During his second season in 2015–16, he was named to the 35-man midseason watchlist for the Naismith Trophy on February 11. On March 7, 2016, Pöltl was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year and All-Pac-12 First Team. He was subsequently named the winner of both the Pete Newell Big Man Award and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award.

On April 13, 2016, Pöltl declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his final two years of college eligibility.

Professional career

Toronto Raptors (2016–2018)

On June 23, 2016, Pöltl was selected by the Toronto Raptors with the ninth overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft, becoming the first Austrian to be drafted to the NBA. On July 9, 2016, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Raptors. He made his debut for the Raptors in their season opener on October 26, 2016, becoming the first Austrian to play in the NBA. He finished with two points in 12:47 of court time in a 109–91 win over the Detroit Pistons. During his rookie season, Pöltl received multiple assignments to Raptors 905, Toronto's G-League affiliate.

On October 21, 2017, Pöltl scored a then career-high 14 points in a 128–94 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. On December 1, he made all eight of his field goal attempts and had a career-high 18 points in a 120–115 win over the Indiana Pacers. Pöltl ended the 2017–18 regular season having made 34 of his last 39 shots in the final eight games. He was also the only Raptors player to appear in all 82 regular-season contests.

San Antonio Spurs (2018–2023)

On July 18, 2018, Pöltl was traded, along with DeMar DeRozan and a protected 2019 first-round draft pick, to the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green. In his debut for the Spurs in their season opener on October 17, 2018, Pöltl recorded four points, four rebounds and two assists in eight minutes in a 112–108 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. He made just his fifth career start and first since February 14, 2017, with Toronto. On February 25, 2022, Pöltl posted a career high 28 points along with 11 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 blocks in a 157–153 win against the Washington Wizards. On November 24, 2020, the San Antonio Spurs announced that they had re-signed Pöltl.

On March 17, 2021, Pöltl logged his second consecutive double-double with 20 points and a career-high 16 rebounds in a 106–99 win over the Chicago Bulls.

On November 22, 2022, Pöltl scored a career-high 31 points during a 117–110 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.

Return to Toronto (2023-present)

On February 9, 2023, Pöltl was traded back to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Khem Birch, a 2024 first-round pick, a 2023 second-round pick and a 2025 second-round pick, reuniting with his longtime friend and fellow draftee Pascal Siakam. On February 14, Pöltl scored 30 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and blocked six shots during a 133–123 win over the Orlando Magic. On July 6, 2023, Pöltl re-signed with the Raptors on a multi-year deal.

On November 16, 2024, Pöltl scored a career-high 35 points on 16-of-19 shooting in a 126–123 loss to the Boston Celtics.

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
 *  Led the league

NBA

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2016–17 Toronto 54 4 11.6 .583 — .544 3.1 .2 .3 .4 3.1
2017–18 Toronto 82* 0 18.6 .659 .500 .594 4.8 .7 .5 1.2 6.9
2018–19 San Antonio 77 24 16.5 .645 — .533 5.3 1.2 .4 .9 5.5
2019–20 San Antonio 66 18 17.7 .624 — .465 5.7 1.8 .6 1.4 5.6
2020–21 San Antonio 69 51 26.7 .616 — .508 7.9 1.9 .7 1.8 8.6
2021–22 San Antonio 68 67 29.0 .618 1.000 .495 9.3 2.8 .7 1.7 13.5
2022–23 San Antonio 46 46 26.1 .616 .000 .605 9.0 3.1 .8 1.1 12.1
2022–23 Toronto 26 25 27.2 .652 — .569 9.1 2.2 1.2 1.3 13.1
2023–24 Toronto 50 50 26.4 .656 — .551 8.6 2.5 .7 1.5 11.1
Career 538 285 21.6 .631 .500 .538 6.7 1.7 .6 1.3 8.3

Play-in

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2021 San Antonio 1 1 32.1 .667 – .500 10.0 2.0 .0 5.0 10.0
2022 San Antonio 1 1 31.2 .700 – .500 9.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 16.0
2023 Toronto 1 1 36.6 .750 – .500 8.0 3.0 .0 2.0 7.0
Career 3 3 33.3 .700 – .500 9.0 2.0 .7 2.7 11.0

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2017 Toronto 6 0 4.3 .455 — .000 2.0 .0 .2 .2 1.7
2018 Toronto 9 0 15.6 .548 .000 .789 4.0 .7 .3 .4 5.4
2019 San Antonio 7 7 25.3 .638 .000 .556 7.7 1.7 .3 .7 7.3
Career 22 7 15.6 .577 .000 .667 4.6 .8 .3 .5 5.0

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2014–15 Utah 34 34 23.3 .681 .000 .444 6.8 .7 .4 1.9 9.1
2015–16 Utah 36 36 30.4 .646 — .689 9.1 1.9 .6 1.6 17.2
Career 70 70 26.9 .658 .000 .605 8.0 1.3 .5 1.7 13.3

References in popular culture

On February 25, 2022, a game similar to the word guessing game Wordle titled Poeltl was released. In the game, which is named after Pöltl, players try to guess a daily NBA Player based off their silhouette in a maxiumum of eight tries.

See also

References

  1. Myerberg, Paul (March 21, 2015). "Jakob Poeltl's path to Utah is paved with promise". USAToday.com. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
  2. ^ Eisenberg, Jeff (December 8, 2014). "How Utah landed fast-rising NBA prospect Jakob Poeltl". Yahoo.com. Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
  3. "Jakob Pöltl stats". BasketballLiga.at. Archived from the original on October 1, 2015. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
  4. Goon, Kyle (March 10, 2015). "Utah basketball: Jakob Poeltl comes out of his (Austrian) shell". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
  5. "UTAH MEN'S BASKETBALL ADDS JAKOB POELTL". UtahUtes.com. April 25, 2014. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  6. Sorensen, Mike (March 11, 2016). "The puzzle of Poeltl — will he stay or will he go?". DeseretNews.com. Archived from the original on March 21, 2015. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
  7. Payne, Terrence (February 11, 2016). "Naismith Trophy midseason list announced". Fox Sports. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  8. "Utah center Jakob Poeltl declares for NBA draft". San Diego Union-Tribune. April 13, 2016. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  9. "Utah center Jakob Poeltl declares for NBA draft". ESPN.com. April 13, 2016. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  10. Goon, Kyle (April 13, 2016). "Utah basketball: Jakob Poeltl will enter 2016 NBA draft". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  11. Ewing, Lori (June 23, 2016). "NBA Draft: Toronto Raptors draft Jakob Poeltl 9th". CBC.ca. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
  12. "Raptors Sign First Round Picks Poeltl & Siakam". NBA.com. July 9, 2016. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
  13. "DeRozan's 40 leads Raptors to 109-91 win over Pistons". ESPN.com. October 26, 2016. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  14. "2016-17 NBA Assignments". NBA.com. Archived from the original on January 26, 2017. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
  15. "DeRozan scores 30 as Raptors rout 76ers 128-94". ESPN.com. October 21, 2017. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
  16. "DeMar DeRozan scores 26 points, Raptors top Pacers 120-115". ESPN.com. December 1, 2017. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
  17. "Ellington sets Heat record, Miami tops Toronto 116-109". ESPN.com. April 11, 2018. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  18. "Spurs obtain DeMar Derozan, Jakob Poeltl and first round pick from Raptors in exchange for Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green". NBA.com. July 18, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  19. "Timberwolves vs. Spurs – Box Score". ESPN.com. October 17, 2018. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  20. "DeRozan leads Spurs past Wolves 112-108; Butler scores 23". ESPN.com. October 17, 2018. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  21. "San Antonio Spurs vs Washington Wizards Feb 25, 2022 Box Scores". NBA.com.
  22. "Spurs re-sign Jakob Poeltl". NBA.com. November 24, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  23. "Spurs' Jakob Poeltl: Puts up 20 and 16 in win". CBSSports.com. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  24. "Poeltl has 20 points, 16 rebounds as Spurs rally past Bulls". sports.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on April 27, 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  25. Grant has 29 points, Trail Blazers rally to beat Spurs
  26. "RAPTORS ACQUIRE POELTL FROM SAN ANTONIO". Raptors.com. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  27. Raptors' Jakob Poeltl: Has 30 points, six blocks in win
  28. "RAPTORS RE-SIGN POELTL". NBA.com. July 6, 2023.
  29. Gammage, Kai (November 17, 2024). "Raptors takeaways: Complete effort against Celtics ends in heartbreak". sportsnet.ca.
  30. "Meet the creator of POELTL, the Wordle clone taking NBA fans by storm | Sporting News". www.sportingnews.com. February 27, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  31. "What is Poeltl? New daily guessing game named after former Utah Runnin' Ute". Deseret. February 28, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  32. "Poeltl, the NBA version of Wordle, is here and it's awesome". For The Win. February 25, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2022.

External links

Toronto Raptors roster
Links to related articles
2016 NCAA Men's Basketball Consensus All-Americans
First Team
Second Team
Pete Newell Big Man Award winners
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award winners
Pac-12 Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year
2016 NBA draft
First round
Second round
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