"Poeltl does hamper the Raptors spacing in some ways, but he elevates it in others. He might even elevate it in more important ways than he hampers it. His screening prowess is obviously very important. He opens up gobs of space for the guards on the roster. He came into tonight's game leading the NBA in screen assists per game (4.9). The underrated part of his game, I think, is that he is the high point in the soft underbelly of defenses."
"A big, wide catch radius. A soft touch to make that area dangerous. The Raptors don't have many players who can deliver layups to their teammates in the halfcourt, but they have a lot of players who benefit from a roaming, competent big man in Poeltl. You don't even have to break the free throw line as a driver - sometimes not even the 3-point line - before delivering Poeltl the ball middle, and watching him finesse his way to a bucket."
"Much is made of Brandon Ingram's heroic mid-range scoring, and that certainly comes at a higher volume, but Poeltl's navigation of the middle of the floor is a significantly underrated aspect of his game, too. It's something the Raptors have been leaning on a lot during this big winning stretch. He's averaging 14.5 ppg and doing it on 79% shooting."
Jakob Poeltl alters team spacing by both hampering and elevating the Raptors' offense, with screening prowess that opens lanes for guards and leads the league in screen assists. He occupies the high point of defenses' soft underbelly, using a large catch radius and soft touch to make middle-of-floor opportunities dangerous. Poeltl averages 14.5 points per game on 79% shooting, providing hyper-efficiency that offsets perimeter slumps. He is primarily a finisher who can facilitate but has seen turnovers rise when passing heavily. The Raptors are increasingly leaning on Poeltl as a middle-floor finishing presence amid added on-ball creators.
Read at Raptors Republic
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