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#19

Jakob Poeltl

Center · Toronto Raptors · 7'0", 253 lb · Born Oct 15, 1995 · Vienna, Austria · Drafted 9th overall, 2016
🇦🇹 AustriaDefensive anchorEfficient finisherPassing big
NBAToronto RaptorsCenters
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In short

Jakob Pöltl is a 7-foot Austrian center for the Toronto Raptors — the first Austrian ever drafted into and to play in the NBA. Selected 9th in 2016, he starred at Utah as Pac-12 Player of the Year, spent time with the Raptors and Spurs, and was traded back to Toronto in 2023. He is an efficient interior scorer, strong rim protector, and skilled passing big.

Matchup model · next gameMedium confidenceThu, Nov 12
@San Antonio SpursDrop coverage
Proj. points
10.6
range 7.9–13.3
Line 10.5
52%
to go over
Team win
38%
111–114
Poi 10.6 Lean overReb 7 Lean underAss 2 Lean underPRA 19.6 Lean over
Likely on himVictor Wembanyama· 88 Rim protectionElite stopper
10+ pts58%15+ pts7%

Model lines Poeltl at 10.6 pts (range 7.9–13.3) vs a 10.5 line — a lean to clear it (52%).

Model favors San Antonio Spurs (62%), projected 111–114, ~225 total at 96.5 pace.

Full matchup breakdown · all markets →
Balladex Matchup Model — modeled from real roster ratings, scoring baselines & defender-matchup history. Schedule, availability & head-to-head samples are illustrative in this prototype; production wires live schedule, injury & player-tracking feeds. Not betting advice.
✦ Ask anything about Poeltl
The Poeltl Story — narrated
Tap play to hear his story, told as a 90-second short.
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A 7-foot Austrian center — an efficient interior scorer, rim protector, and passing hub for the Raptors.

The first Austrian drafted into the NBA, Pöltl was Pac-12 Player of the Year at Utah before Toronto drafted him 9th in 2016.

🏫 Utah · 9th, 2016🇦🇹 Vienna

He won a G League title, then anchored the frontcourt in San Antonio.

G League champSpurs anchor

Traded back to Toronto in 2023, he re-signed as the starting center.

Back to TORExtension

An efficient finisher and passing big, he's a defensive anchor.

9-7-2 · .636 FG35-pt high
— end of story —
Want the full numbers? Open the breakdown →
PPG
10.7
2025-26
RPG
7
per game
APG
2
per game
FG%
.700
LIFE

Roots & the rise

A 7-foot Austrian center — an efficient interior scorer, rim protector, and passing hub for the Raptors.

Jakob Pöltl was born in Vienna, Austria to two national-team volleyball players and starred at Utah, winning 2016 Pac-12 Player of the Year, before Toronto drafted him 9th — the first Austrian ever drafted into the NBA. He won a G League title with Raptors 905 and later anchored the frontcourt in San Antonio.

Traded back to Toronto at the 2023 deadline, he re-signed on a multi-year extension as the Raptors' starting center. An efficient interior finisher (a career .636 from the field), strong rim protector, and skilled high-post passer, he is a defensive and connective anchor.

Sources: Wikipedia, NBA.com, Basketball-Reference, ESPN.

BEYOND THE GAME

Beyond the game

Pöltl comes from an elite-athlete family — both his parents played on Austrian national volleyball teams — and became a trailblazer as the first Austrian to be drafted into and play in the NBA, a source of national pride. His steady, professional approach mirrors his understated, efficient game.

His on-court identity is old-school center play with modern passing — a 7-footer who finishes at a historic clip near the rim, protects the paint, rebounds, and orchestrates handoffs and dribble-handoff offense from the high post. His lack of outside shooting and modest free-throw shooting cap his range, but his efficiency, defense, and passing make him a genuine anchor for Toronto.

PERSONALITY

The person

An efficient, defense-first center with passing feel — rim protection, finishing, and handoffs.

Defensive anchorA strong rim protector and interior defender.
Efficient finisherA career .636 shooter around the rim.
Passing hubOrchestrates handoff offense from the high post.
PLAYER DNA

Archetype & ratings

Archetype
Rim-Running Center · Rim-Protector
Temperament
Steady
Leadership
58/100
Scoring59
Playmaking41
Rebounding83
Perimeter D62
Rim protection82
Spacing35
Athleticism70
Clutch62
a rim-running, rim-protecting center
ANALYSIS

What the numbers say

Efficient, connective center play

Pöltl's value is interior efficiency and defense — a 7-footer who finishes at a historic clip (a career .636 from the field), protects the rim, rebounds, and passes and hands off from the high post to orchestrate offense. That combination of efficiency, rim protection, and playmaking makes him a genuine defensive and connective anchor.

The range limitation

His lack of outside shooting and modest free-throw shooting cap his offensive range in a modern game that prizes floor-spacing bigs. But his efficiency, defense, and passing feel are legitimately valuable, and his extension reflects his role as Toronto's starting center — a steady anchor around whom the young core can operate.

STATS

Season by season

Per game

SeasonGPMINPTSREBASTFG%3P%
2025-264625.010.77.02.0.700

Source: Basketball-Reference.

ADVANCED

Advanced & historical

Where he sits in history

2016First Austrian ever drafted into the NBA; Pac-12 Player of the Year at Utah
HistoryFirst Austrian to play in an NBA game (2016)
2024Career-high 35 points on 16-of-19 shooting vs. Boston

Hardware

1×
Pac-12 Player of the Year (2016)
1×
G League champion (2017)
OUTLOOK

Where it's headed

AI-generated · updated July 13, 2026

An efficient, defense-first center with passing feel — Toronto's frontcourt anchor.

Pöltl is Toronto's starting center and defensive anchor — an efficient interior finisher, rim protector, and high-post passing hub. His lack of range caps his offense in a spacing era, but his efficiency, defense, and playmaking are genuinely valuable, and his extension reflects his steady, anchoring role.

Rim protectionStrong
Finishing efficiencyElite
Passing (big)Strong
Floor spacingLimited

Contract

Role
Starting center anchor
History
1st Austrian in NBA
Age
30 prime
Bottom line

An efficient, defense-first 7-foot Austrian center with rare passing feel — a rim-protecting, connective anchor for Toronto, with floor-spacing the one limitation.

FAQ

Quick answers

What is Jakob Pöltl known for?

Efficient interior scoring (a career .636 from the field), rim protection, and skilled high-post passing — a defense-first, connective center.

Why is Jakob Pöltl historically significant?

He was the first Austrian ever drafted into the NBA and the first Austrian to play in an NBA game.

How did Jakob Pöltl return to Toronto?

After being drafted 9th by Toronto in 2016 and later starring in San Antonio, he was traded back to the Raptors at the 2023 deadline.