The Toronto Raptors announced Thursday they have re-signed centre Jakob Poeltl (YAH-cub PER-tull) to a multi-year contract. Per team policy, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Poeltl, 7-foot-1, 260 pounds, averaged 12.5 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.2 blocks and 26.5 minutes in 72 games (71 starts) with San Antonio and Toronto last season. He shot .629 (389-618) from the field – his highest field goal percentage since the 2018-19 season – which ranked ninth in the NBA.
“Jakob brought an immediate presence on the floor when he returned to us last season. He’s a smart, hard-nosed rim protector,” Raptors Vice-Chairman and President Masai Ujiri said. “We have been strong believers in Jakob as a player and as an individual since day one, and we are thrilled that he will be a Raptor for years to come.”
After being acquired on Feb. 9, he played 26 games (25 starts) for the Raptors, averaging 13.1 points, 9.1 rebounds and 27.2 minutes. He tied Pascal Siakam (eight) for most double-doubles on the team since the trade deadline and also led the Raptors in total rebounds (237), blocks (34), and field goal percentage (.652) in that span. Poeltl recorded 21 points and a career-high 18 rebounds Feb. 23 vs. New Orleans becoming the sixth player in franchise history to record 20/18 in the regular season.
A native of Vienna, Austria, Poeltl owns career averages of 8.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 21.1 minutes in 488 games (235 starts) with San Antonio and Toronto. He was selected ninth overall by the Raptors in the 2016 becoming the first Austrian player in league history.
Prior to the NBA, Poeltl played two years (2014-16) at Utah and one season (2013-14) for the Arkadia Traiskirchen Lions in Austria. He was the 2016 Pac-12 Player of the Year, an AP second-team All-American and the recipient of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award for the nation's top centre his sophomore year with the Utes.