Poeltl keeping Raps competitive with Barrett out

As a centre, Jakob Poeltl isn’t usually expected to pick up the slack when a wing is hurt. But with Canadian swingman RJ Barrett still out for the Toronto Raptors, Poeltl is finding his role expanding.

Poeltl spoke about how he’s had to make adjustments within the Raptors’ offence after practice at OVO Athletic Centre on Wednesday afternoon. Barrett has been out with a sprained right knee since Nov. 23.

“Without RJ, we have less pressure on the paint, and we tend to — especially when teams start switching against us — we tend to get a little bit stagnant,” said Poeltl, standing to the side of the basketball courts at the practice facility. “It leads to me having to get myself involved in the offence a little bit more, like with flashes to the high post, initiating pick and rolls, just to get more movement in our offence that we’re missing without him.”

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Barrett was averaging 19.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game before getting hurt landing awkwardly following a dunk.

As a combination of a shooting guard and small forward, Barrett is ostensibly a perimeter player. However, because Barrett slashes to the hoop when the Raptors’ opponents are double-teaming other players like Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes, he’s actually a key part of Toronto’s scoring around the rim.

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Over 17 games this season, 34.6 per cent of his field-goal attempts are within three feet of the basket, and 22.4 per cent are between three and 10 feet of the rim.

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“RJ means a lot to us, obviously, offensively, and his ability to touch the paint and to play make and to score,” said head coach Darko Rajakovic. “He means so much for us, and he gives a different perspective as well to our second unit when he’s sharing time with those guys.

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“We’re missing a lot, but we’re not complaining. We’re just trying to maximize what we have right now.”

Poeltl’s ability to set timely screens and get the Raptors’ interior offence going didn’t come from admiring another centre’s play, but actually from a conversation early in his career with former Toronto point guard Kyle Lowry.

“(Lowry) was really preaching just being more physical on screens, like, getting away from the college type of screen, where you just stand there,” said Poeltl, who is averaging 10.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists over 16 games as he rests his lower back in one half of back-to-backs.

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“In the NBA, there’s more room for some grabbing, holding, pushing off a little bit in situations like that, which I think over the years, I’ve tried to incorporate into my screen-and-roll game.”

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Raptors point guard Immanuel Quickley certainly appreciates Poeltl’s skill in setting picks.

“Unbelievable man, I got to give a shout out to Jakob,” said Quickley after a 121-118 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday. “He’s one of the best screen setters I’ve played with, and he’s such an unselfish player, putting his body on the line defensively.

“You’ve got to give a lot of credit to Jakob (…) and the screening. It’s an act of unselfishness for your teammates, so we appreciate him a lot.”

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The Raptors host the Los Angeles Lakers (15-5) on Thursday night at Scotiabank Arena. Poeltl will be the backbone of Toronto’s defence as it tries to contain the dual threats of point guard Luka Doncic and small forward LeBron James.

“I think the challenge is how do we even — even if they’re guys that can read the floor, that are known to make good passes and stuff like that — how can we still make it as hard as possible on them?” said Poeltl. “How can we disrupt their ball movement? How can we get them to play stagnant?

“Maybe play them into some ISO situations, making those passing angles tough on them, giving our defence enough time to react to their ball movement.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 3, 2025.

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