Raptors' Jakob Poeltl will be a playmaker this season

Imman and Kashtin discuss the consistency of Jakob Poeltl and why his playmaking could pay dividends for Toronto. Listen to the full episode on the 'Raptors Over Everything' podcast feed or watch on our YouTube.Raptors' Jakob Poeltl will be a playmaker this season

Video Transcript

IMMAN ADAN: --but it's not. So we're going to move forward and talk about someone who has been called a hub of this offense. And it's so much more than just the defensive anchor that I just mentioned. He's signed, so we don't have to worry about him in free agency anymore. That got done.

That's Jakob Poeltl. What are your thoughts on Jakob Poeltl signing the extension that he signed? And what are your thoughts on his role as an offensive hub for this team?

KASHTIN: So on the extension, there have been a lot of jokes about how James Harden is perhaps the greatest agitator for trades, free agency, whatever in the history of professional sports. You know, he's at the club, and they've got the sign that says Daryl Morey is a liar, and all of that.

And then people have made fun of Damian Lillard for--

IMMAN ADAN: Great theatrics.

KASHTIN: --the threats, you know?

IMMAN ADAN: Yeah.

KASHTIN: He still got sent to Milwaukee. But further below Damian in the power rankings of agitation is Jakob Poeltl. There was, like, a very minor leak that was like, Jakob might leave. And it's like, Jakob's not leaving. What are you talking about? Jakob's-- you give him the number he agreed to, and he's like, oh, thank god, I don't have to move. Like, it's--

IMMAN ADAN: Yeah.

KASHTIN: So I'm very pleased. I think it's a very fair contract. I heard a podcast say he's an average starting center in the NBA. And I think that does him a disservice. I think he is very clearly one of the 10 best starting-- probably closer to 6 to 10, in that range. But he serves a very clear role.

In terms of what I expect from him, I agree with Darko's approach to try to get him more as a passer. The Raptors with Fred VanVleet last season, after the trade deadline, were just spamming pick and rolls with Fred and Jakob, and to great success. It made a lot of sense for their team. They had no halfcourt offense. That worked.

I think by trying to start something from the ground up where Jakob is using his passing talents, and also his ability in that sort of short 5 to 9 foot range to convert will be really exciting. Really, when you were talking about what interests you most about this season, what interests me most in sort of a big picture, is does Jakob finish games? Because without Fred VanVleet, there are really only three players I would say are guaranteed to close games, are Scottie, OG, Pascal.

IMMAN ADAN: Yeah.

KASHTIN: And if Jakob is one of those five, it's-- I'm just really interested in that question because if the answer is yes, it probably means they've found something that works well enough offensively--

IMMAN ADAN: Yeah.

KASHTIN: --to make it make sense. Because defensively, we see the impact he has. He's an amazing rebounder. He's a deceptively good shot blocker, despite having T. rex arms, and--

IMMAN ADAN: Yes.

KASHTIN: I think it's the volleyball parents that he has. And he's got really good touch. Really, the only thing I'd love to see him improve, outside of just being able to stay on the floor, related to-- well, it's all to do with staying on the floor-- fouls and free throws, free throws being the number one. Like, if he can hit his free throws, he's an excellent starting center in the NBA. And you know, he's not a superstar or anything, but he serves a role, and at a great price.

IMMAN ADAN: Yeah, I mean, if there's one thing that you would want him to improve on, I would say free throws as well because he's going to get there quite a bit.

KASHTIN: Yeah.

IMMAN ADAN: And he just-- OK, so Darko--

KASHTIN: I gave you a lot all at once.

IMMAN ADAN: No, and I love it because Jakob also-- I completely agree with you. My brain is jumping right now. Let's start with Darko did a interview yesterday with a kid named Jake on "Jake's Takes." Check it out on YouTube. He does great interviews.

And he mentioned that Jakob Poeltl was going to be a hub, and use him more in a way that San Antonio did, and sort of just operating at the elbow. He's a great passer. And that's something that's, like, really underrated part.

And we talked about the cutting. We talked about Pascal's incredible cutting. These are two guys that have insane chemistry. So even though a lot of people pointed out that they didn't work a lot last season, and-- I'm interested to see what that fit is. I don't know that I buy into that as much. And I think we're probably going to see that at the start of this year.

But another thing that we saw last season, as my brain is just-- I'm jumping-- is closing games. So I'm glad that you mentioned that because there's, of course, been a lot of talk about what the starting lineup is going to look like. Do you start Schroder or do you start Gary Trent, Jr., right? And I think that that is going to be a question that probably goes into a good chunk of the season. I don't know that we're going to have the answer before the start of the year, at least one that sort of remains.

KASHTIN: Interesting, because I actually feel really strongly that Gary Trent, Jr., starts. Yeah.

IMMAN ADAN: Really?

KASHTIN: And that's not my personal pr-- I just think it's, like--

IMMAN ADAN: A given?

KASHTIN: Yeah, because I think Schroder, despite being FIBA MVP, world champion--

IMMAN ADAN: Yeah.

KASHTIN: With that debate--

IMMAN ADAN: World champion.

KASHTIN: World champion Dennis Schroder and FIBA MVP, he just isn't a spot up 3-point shooter at all.

IMMAN ADAN: No.

KASHTIN: And Gary Trent, Jr., is.

IMMAN ADAN: Yeah.

KASHTIN: I also think just, like, interpersonal dynamics-wise, I think Gary Trent, Jr., was a really good soldier last year in tolerating a lot of, hey, Gary, you're coming off the bench for a little while, or you're not good enough defense-- well, all this stuff. And I think just giving him a show of good faith of, you're starting-- and also by default, that means Scottie is your point guard.

And I think delaying that question of is Scottie a point guard any longer-- like, are you setting him up to be the best possible point guard in the world, given his skill set and this roster? Probably not. But that's a question for another day. Like, that-- anyway, sorry to derail, but that question, to me, is--

IMMAN ADAN: Is answered.

KASHTIN: --I feel really confident about that, personally. I've been proven wrong a lot.

IMMAN ADAN: No, no, no, I completely agree with you. I think we're going to start with Gary Trent, Jr., as the starter. I don't know if that continues on when we're talking about games in December. That's why I say, like, we're going to have an answer to start the year off. I don't know if it's going to continue to be the answer as the season progresses.

KASHTIN: Interesting. Gotcha. OK, sorry to-- yeah.

IMMAN ADAN: No, no worries. That's why I'm like, by-- we might get something at the start of the season. But we're not going to have that same answer, I think, three quarters into-- a quarter into the season or something like that.

KASHTIN: No, I got you. No, I think with-- but what you were saying just in terms of the starting versus closing, there's a huge opportunity for someone on the back of the roster to step in.

IMMAN ADAN: Yeah. I love that. Let's pivot to the back of the roster. Talk to me.

KASHTIN: Jakob is such a-- I don't have to think about Jakob. He shows up. He does his job.

IMMAN ADAN: Yeah.

KASHTIN: He'll either miss all of his free throws or hit 70% of them. And that'll-- it's very temperate climate. It's 15 degrees to 20 degrees--

IMMAN ADAN: I still have a trigger warning before we start talking about missed free throws. I don't know if I've fully healed yet.

KASHTIN: Oh, yeah, yeah. Oh, man. Anyways, another bit of Raptors lore that we have, and another intergenerational impact of the DeRozan family, making their impact felt in the Raptors franchise. Now--