“Yak is our starter. We’re number one defence in the league at this time, and he, Yak, has a lot to do with that.”
This is the stance of Raptors coach Darko Rajaković after the Toronto team’s first four games in the season. In them, Jakob Poeltl, that Raptors’ starting centre, has averaged three points, four and a half rebounds, and less than one block per game, in just under 20 minutes a game.
This is a far cry from Yak’s near 15-10 season back in ‘24-’25, and the injuries that have plagued Poeltl
in the years since have contributed heavily to two seasons (thus far) of very limited production from the big man. Nevertheless, Rajaković refuses to publicly condemn his player.
“Yak does so many things on defensive end of the ball that it helps us tremendously,” the coach said at today’s presser. “And lot of those things, they will not show up in the box-score you know, and the way he’s presenting himself in the paint, the way he’s controlling screener, the way he rotates and helps our guys… Offensively, I think his rhythm is gonna come.”
While overreacting to a small sample size is unhelpful, it is clear as day that some type of issues are present. Whether lingering injuries remain a concern, or something else is keeping Poeltl at bay, something needs to change for the Raptors if they want to win games in the modern NBA. And, while Rajaković remains steadfast, standing by the Austrian big man, he has also insinuated that he is not burying his head in the sand, and may be choosing to address this issue from a rotational perspective at this juncture.
Journalist Joe Wolfond seems to have cleanly summed up the direction the Raptors may be taking the team, as the coach indicated that the Raptors’ current arrangement of centre minutes was not set in stone.
“Everything is on the table, you know?” Rajaković said when asked about Trayce Jackson-Davis getting more minutes at the 5. “Obviously, I love to have as many players as possible to be ready to help us and to step on the floor. It’s just finding those right moments, right minutes and the right rotations to maximize that.”
While relatively non-committal, this statement suggests that Rajaković may be exploring what having the 6’9” centre play a bigger part in the Raps’ rotation could look like. And if last night is any indication, that looks good. In a game where both Jakob Poeltl and Collin Murray Boyles got into f0ul trouble, Jackson-Davis stepped up to grab 11 rebounds, and looked like a ray of hope for the Raptors.
Jackson-Davis is two inches taller than Collin Murray-Boyles, and the two of them off the bench may combine to give the Raptors that extra support at the 5 that is so necessary, but cannot be sustained at this juncture by Poeltl and Boyles alone.
With the Raptors facing off against the Orlando Magic again this Friday, the team will have another opportunity, both to give Jakob Poeltl time to demonstrate that he is a starting-calibre centre, and for Trayce Jackson-Davis to show both the organization and the fans that he needs more minutes.
