Jakob Poeltl

Last season marked the third consecutive year Poeltl saw increased minutes, and it marked the best season of his career by a significant margin. He started all but one of his 68 appearances and averaged 13.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.7 blocks in 29.0 minutes. His field-goal percentage (61.8) was fantastic, but his 49.5 percent mark from the charity stripe was downright awful and quite damaging to his fantasy value, though he took only 2.8 attempts per game. Poeltl's increased production wasn't simply a product of more minutes, as Poeltl's 18.3 percent usage rate was significantly higher than his previous high mark of 14.8 percent in 2017-18. The center ranked 79th in per-game fantasy production. This season, he should have room to grow yet again. The Spurs are in one of the best tanking situations in the NBA, with their best player arguably being Keldon Johnson. Poeltl can only handle so much usage as a traditional center without much of a post game, but he's displayed upside as a passer and could handle the ball more frequently than ever before. Fantasy managers should temper expectations given Poeltl's limitations as a player, but he deserves a selection earlier than his ranking from the end of last season.

Poeltl is coming off the best season of his five-year career in The Association, as the big man posted career-best marks in most categories. He averaged a career-high 26.7 minutes per game, which translated into personal bests in points (8.6), rebounds (7.9), assists (1.9), blocks (1.8) and steals (0.7). The veteran big man recorded 16 double-doubles last season and all but one of those came as a starter. Poeltl might be in line for his best season yet if he manages to stay healthy as the Spurs' starting center. Poeltl might not have a lot of upside in standard leagues, but he could be a decent option as a late pick because he can contribute with rebounds and blocks while also offering double-digit scoring outputs on a semi-consistent basis. While he's not expected to become a regular offensive force in the Spurs' scheme, the fact that he has shot at least 60 percent from the field in each of his last four seasons bodes well for his chances of being efficient on limited touches.

In his second season with San Antonio, Poeltl saw his playing time increase and averaged 5.6 points, 5.7 boards and 2.0 combined blocks-plus-steals across 17.7 minutes. He shot better than 60 percent from the floor for the third straight season but was a bit worse from the charity stripe, as he shot sub-50 percent from the free-throw line. Poeltl started just 18 games all season, but he started the Spurs' final eight games inside the bubble with favorable results. Across his final four games, the big man came down with double-digit rebounds three times, logged two double-doubles and averaged 2.5 combined blocks-steals. During the offseason, he re-upped with the Spurs on a three-year, $27 million contract. It seems possible coach Gregg Popovich will try to find some more run for the 25-year-old, but the presence of LaMarcus Aldridge still complicates things.

In his first season with the Spurs following last summer's blockbuster trade featuring Kawhi Leonard and DeMar DeRozan, Poeltl posted career-high per-game averages of 5.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. He also noticeably improved his ball control (0.6 turnovers per game) after amassing 1.0 turnover versus 0.7 assists in 2017-18. However, Poeltl connected on a career-low 53.3 percent from the charity stripe. He appeared in 77 games in 2018-19 while drawing 24 starts, after coming off the bench in 132 of 136 tilts through two campaigns with the Raptors. However, he earned fewer minutes per night this past season (16.5) than he did in 2017-18 (18.6). Overall, Poeltl is a decent option for deeper category leagues thanks to his fairly well-rounded production and sky-high field-goal percentage (64.5). The young big man turns 24 in October and could be poised to make a leap if he's able to carve out more consistent and ample playing time, and he did see 25.3 minutes per game across seven playoff bouts against the Nuggets. Still, it remains to be seen whether that was mostly a matchup-based decision or a vote of confidence from coach Gregg Popovich going forward.

In his second NBA season, Poeltl played in all 82 games, upping his averages to 6.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks across 18.6 minutes. He struggled mightily as a free-throw shooter at 59.4 percent, but he did finish at a solid 65.9 percent from the field. He showed plenty of improvement with his all-around game and provided the rim-protection that the Raptors coveted when selecting him with the ninth overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. However, with Toronto getting knocked out of the playoffs by the Cavaliers once again, the organization opted to make some significant roster moves. One of those was acquiring superstar Kawhi Leonard, which sent DeMar DeRozan and Poeltl to the Spurs in the corresponding move. Look for Poeltl to have a slightly increased role following the move considering he's joining a San Antonio squad that doesn't have a ton of depth at center outside of LaMarcus Aldridge and an aging Pau Gasol. More minutes means added production, though Poeltl will still likely struggle to be anything more than a block specialist in the deepest of leagues.

After being selected with the ninth overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, Poeltl didn't play a huge role during his rookie season, mostly serving as a deep reserve at center for the playoff bound Raptors. In 54 games, including four starts, Poeltl ended the year averaging 3.1 points and 3.1 rebounds across 11.6 minutes, while shooting 58.3 percent from the floor. The Raptors ended up re-signing Serge Ibaka this offseason and will also bring back Jonas Valanciunas, so there's not going to be a ton of minutes available for Poeltl in the frontcourt during his sophomore campaign. He's slated to battle Lucas Nogueira for rights to the backup center role, although if Nogueira's slow development continues in his fourth season, the Raptors could try and get Poeltl, the younger and higher upside option, even more run to see what he's capable of. Poeltl figures to see an increase in playing time, but it likely won't be enough to make him a viable Fantasy target in the majority of leagues.

The Raptors have historically coveted international players in the draft, so it wasn't overly surprising when they spent their ninth overall selection on Poeltl, an Austrian-born center who honed his craft at Utah for two seasons. A quick glance at the 7-foot-1 Poeltl may lead one to assume he's a typical plodding post player -- the kind the NBA game has been moving away from for several years. However, that assertion overlooks the finer points of the 20-year-old's game. Poeltl is an excellent passer; perhaps not on the level of fellow lottery picks Dragan Bender or Domantas Sabonis, but just a notch below those two in terms of passing big men in the entire draft class. This skill could allow him to occupy the same kind of role Mason Plumlee assumed last season with the Trail Blazers, in which he worked with the guards on dribble handoffs and complex perimeter schemes designed to get the wing scorers favorable matchups. Poeltl won’t be an elite rebounder or rim protector and in fact often struggled when matched up with those type of players in college, but he can average or better in those departments, and he has the all-around skills that few seven footers can claim. However, with Jonas Valanciunas under contract through the 2019-2020 season, it may take a while before Poeltl gets an extended chance to show the Raptors what he's fully capable of doing. He'll likely battle with Lucas Nogueira for top backup duties in the preseason, a role that won't afford the eventual winner many minutes.