Holly MacKenzie - Raptors.com
The day after being selected by the Raptors with the ninth pick in the draft, Jakob Poeltl got to check out his new practice facility for the first time. Poeltl worked out for Toronto prior to the draft, but his session took place in Buffalo. Although he hasn’t had time to actually explore the city yet, Poeltl’s former University of Utah teammate Delon Wright has told him plenty about his new home.
“I came pretty much straight from the airport to here, but it looks beautiful,” Poeltl said. “I’ve only heard good things about it. Obviously, Delon told me good things about it and he had a great time last year here and he said he loved the city. I’m looking forward to seeing more,”
When Poeltl’s name was called on Thursday night, he became the first Austrian player to be selected in the NBA Draft. When he was still available as the ninth pick rolled around, Masai Ujiri and his front office staff were elated. For all of the prepping and planning that goes into the night, the unexpected can always happen. Getting the guy you want can feel like you’ve won the lottery.
“Sometimes you are lucky,” Ujiri said. “And we feel we are very lucky that Jakob was there.”
Poeltl spent much of the postseason watching Toronto reach the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history. Raptors head coach Dwane Casey was impressed with his knowledge of the NBA when he met him prior to the draft.
“I’ve seen quite a bit of Raptors basketball last season, obviously with them making a deep push into the playoffs,” Poeltl said. “I saw a lot of these playoff games. I feel like I know the team, as well as you can get to know the team off of TV, but I feel like I’ve gotten to know it.”
It wasn’t always so easy for Poeltl to keep up with league action. Back home in Austria where NBA games often don’t tip off until 3 A.M. the easiest way to keep up with games can be waking up to watch recaps on NBA.com. It wasn’t until he came to Utah that he could begin to watch games nightly as they happened live.
Both of Poeltl’s parents have played for the Austrian national volleyball team. Growing up around athletes helped create the work ethic that coaches continue to rave about.
“It helped me out in the sense that even as a little kid I was always in the gym,” Poeltl said. “Even with them playing volleyball, I was the ball boy basically just running around. I was super active. I grew up in this family of athletes. We’re just a very active family. For me as a kid it was very logical that I wanted to play a sport. It just happened to be basketball. It was pretty random. I loved it and I never looked back.”
That work ethic, coupled with immense potential, is part of what captured Toronto’s attention. Poeltl acknowledged it will be head coach Dwane Casey’s decision whether he’s able to get an opportunity to play immediately, but made it clear he’ll be putting in work to do what he can to try to force his hand.
“I feel very confident about that,” Poeltl said. “Really, at the end of the day, it’s going to be up to me putting the work in in the gym and Coach making the decision on the sideline to put me on the court or not. I feel confident that I can contribute. I feel like I’m the kind of guy who can do a lot of different stuff, a lot of the little things. I know coming in as a rookie I’m going to be there for the the hustle plays, the rebounds, screens, whatever, they need me to do. That’s what I’m going to be looking for. Getting better every day in the gym and adding to my repertoire every day and getting better out there.”
Poeltl credited his coaches in youth basketball in Austria with helping him develop into a player that was recruited by American colleges. Like Wright who was drafted by the Raptors a year ago, he also praised the system at Utah with helping to prep him for what’s to come at the next level.
“We had a lot of different sets in Utah on offence and defence,” Poeltl said. “Different coverages. We went through a variety of different styles over the two years also so I got to see a lot of different stuff, get to know a lot of different stuff, and get used to knowing a lot of different coverages at the same time. It’s not always easy to remember that stuff so I think it can definitely help me out next year.”
Ujiri smiled widely as he praised Poeltl’s love of the game multiple times.
“When you see a big guy that loves to play, let alone his parents were athletes and he grew up in a sports environment and loves the game of basketball and loves to be in the gym, just run, and hug him,” Ujiri said. “Take him and run. A lot of big guys are pushed to play. That’s the reality of life. You’re seven feet so go play basketball.
“We’ve done our homework on it,” Ujiri continued. “Great hands. Loves to run. Moves his feet well. He’s got a good sense and feel for the game. Coupled with two years of experience with college basketball, loves to roll hard to the basket. To me, big guys just continue to get better.”
Next up for Poeltl will be getting an opportunity to explore the city with his family. Then will be summer league where he’ll join fellow rookie Pascal Siakam and teammates Norman Powell, Delon Wright, and Bruno Caboclo in Las Vegas. It will be a busy summer of work for the 20-year-old. Luckily for him — and for the Raptors organization as well — the gym is exactly where he wants to be.
“This kid loves to play,” Ujiri continued. “He loves to play the game of basketball. Legit.