- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 436,932
- Reaction score
- 44
You must be registered for see images attach
Toronto Raptors center Jakob Poeltl, right, drives to the basket against Washington Wizards forward Tristan Vukcevic (00) during a game, Monday, March 24, 2025, in Washington. The former Runnin' Utes standout just wrapped up his ninth season in the NBA. | John McDonnell, Associated Press
DALLAS — On one level, it’s hard to believe it’s been nine years since Jakob Poeltl was named 2016 Pac-12 Player of the Year in what proved to be his final season at Utah. Now 29, Poeltl just completed his ninth NBA season in his second stint with Toronto, and he remains grateful for his time in Salt Lake City.
“It was a good period of my life. I had a lot of fun,” Poeltl, who missed the Raptors’ final four games of the season with a hand injury, said prior to an April 11 game against the Mavericks. “Think it was pretty successful overall. Overall, I can look back on that period and see it as really positive. Had a lot of fun, made a lot of progress for my professional career.”
Larry Krystkowiak, who also played and coached in the NBA, coached the Utes from 2011 through 2021, including Poeltl’s two seasons at Utah, and the affable Austrian considers himself fortunate to have played for him.
“Obviously, he helped me a lot during that time in my life. He was very interested in me coming to the university in the first place,” Poeltl said. “He came to visit in Austria, and he really showed a lot of interest, which made me feel good about myself going there. I felt they really wanted me there, they needed me, and I could develop there as a player, which ended up working out perfectly.
“That part of it is what kickstarted my basketball career here in the states. Him (also) being a big man, we had some conversations about my game and what stuff to work on.”
Runnin’ Utes fans likely remember Poeltl notching a double-double with 18 points and 10 boards in his college debut on Nov. 14, 2014, in a 90-72 win against Ball State. Besides delivering instant impact from the moment he first hit the floor at the Jon M. Huntsman Center, he also remembers quickly feeling part of the Utah family thanks to an incredibly welcoming fanbase.
“We just had really good fans. They’re very passionate about the University of Utah in Salt Lake City and we rewarded them with good results pretty much all the way around,” Poeltl said. “In general, it was a really nice place to live. The people there were super nice. Everybody was very welcoming for a kid that just came from Austria that didn’t know much about the world in general let alone Utah, Salt Lake City, whatever it was. They welcomed me wholeheartedly.”
And even though nearly a decade has passed since his last minutes as a Ute, anytime he sees his two former college teammates also in the NBA, in Kyle Kuzma (Milwaukee) and Delon Wright (New York), it triggers all those great memories from their time in Salt Lake. “It’s amazing (to see them). We were on the team together, so that makes it even better,” Poeltl said. “Super happy for those guys and still in touch with those guys. When we play against each other, we’ll go grab dinner every now and then.”
“We also still have a bunch of other mutual friends that were on the team together. Randomly in the summertime or when we all happen to be in the same place, we’ll go out for dinners and stuff like that. Having that bond and having other guys that you went through the college experience with and even early in my career, I was always joking that Delon was the guy that got me drafted and I ended up getting drafted to the same team as him.”
You must be registered for see images attach
Jakob Poeltl answers questions during an interview after being selected ninth overall by the Toronto Raptors during the NBA draft, Thursday, June 23, 2016, in New York. The former Ute just ended his ninth year in the NBA. | Frank Franklin II, Associated Press
In 2016, Poeltl was the ninth overall pick of the Raptors in the draft. He made his NBA debut on Oct. 26, 2016, and split his rookie season between Toronto and Raptors 905, their neighboring affiliate in the NBA G League. In July 2018, he was traded to San Antonio with DeMar DeRozan in a blockbuster deal that netted the Raptors Kawhi Leonard, who would earn NBA Finals MVP honors in 2019 as he helped lead Toronto to its first title in franchise history.
Landing in the Alamo City afforded Poeltl the unique opportunity to play for Hall of Fame coach Gregg Popovich, who has led the Spurs to five NBA titles and is regarded as one of the top basketball minds in the world. One thing every player who has suited up for “Pop” always says is that not only did they learn a ton about basketball from him, but they also learned a great deal about an array of other subjects like wine, Popovich’s “other” passion.
“There’s so many things (I take away from playing for Pop). The most unique thing is that it’s not just a basketball relationship,” Poeltl said. “He’s really taking it seriously to educate his players or have a normal relationship with them about life.”
“That was really cool, an approach I haven’t seen to that extent from a coach, especially at this level and I really appreciate that. I had a really positive personal relationship with him. He’s helped my NBA career go from role player trying to fight for minutes to an actual NBA starter taking control of my own game, developing facets of it, giving me confidence in myself to go out there and do the little things like taking over a little bit more. I have him to thank for a lot of that.”
You must be registered for see images attach
San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich gestures toward San Antonio Spurs center Jakob Poeltl during game, Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022, in Boston. The former Ute holds a debt of gratitude for the legendary coach. | Charles Krupa, Associated Press
In February 2023, Poeltl landed back in Toronto when the Spurs traded him back to the Raptors. This season, he played for a new head coach in Darko Rajakovic, an NBA assistant for about a decade for three different teams before Toronto hired him in 2023. And Rajakovic likes what he saw from his veteran big man this season.
“Jakob, I think he’s played probably the best season in his life not just when you look analytically but how he affected our team, how he made teammates around him better, how he improved his game, the confidence level he has on the court,” Rajakovic said. “I think that Jakob is just entering his peak, and I think the next four, five years, we will be seeing the best basketball out of Jakob.”
And despite battling injuries off and on in Year 9 in the Association, Poeltl likes the progression he and his teammates made this season.
“Overall, positive for a step in the right direction. I was happy with my individual play for the most part,” Poeltl said. “Obviously, there’s going to be ups and downs, but I try to just keep a level head and view it objectively.”
“Little bit unlucky with how the season went with a lot of injuries for our team, having a young team that wanted to develop together and then having long periods where we really couldn’t do that because we were missing key pieces throughout a major part of it.
“The end result, we would have loved to have been a little bit better, where we’re in the play-in, a playoff type of situation and not down here fighting for draft picks. That part’s a little bit disappointing, but I’m pretty happy with the developments I’ve made.”
You must be registered for see images attach
Kristin Murphy,
Stephen Hunt is a freelance writer based in Frisco, Texas.
Continue reading...
