Center Jakob Poeltl is not usually expected to pick up the slack when his wing is injured. But since Canadian swingman R.J. With Barrett still with the Toronto Raptors, Poeltl is finding his role expanding.
Poeltl talked about how he had to make adjustments to the Raptors' offense after practice at the OVO Sports Center on Wednesday afternoon. Barrett has been out of action with a sprained right knee since November 23.
“Without RJ, we have less pressure in the paint and we tend to — especially when teams start going against us — we tend to get a little stagnant,” Poeltl said, standing to the side of the basketball courts at the practice facility. “It leads to me having to get involved in the offense a little more, like throwing to the high post, initiating pick-and-rolls, just to get more movement into our offense that we're missing without him.”
Barrett averaged 19.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game before being injured after landing awkwardly after a dunk.
As both a shooting guard and small forward, Barrett is ostensibly a perimeter player. However, because Barrett gets to the rim when the Raptors' opponents stack other players like Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes, he actually plays a key role in Toronto's scoring at the rim.
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Through 17 games this season, 34.6% of his field goal attempts have come within three feet of the basket and 22.4% have come between three and 10 feet from the hoop.
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“Obviously RJ means a lot to us offensively, as well as his ability to touch the paint, make plays and score,” head coach Darko Rajakovic said. “He means so much to us, and he also brings a different perspective to our second unit when he spends time with these guys.
“We're missing out on a lot, but we're not complaining. We're just trying to maximize what we have now.”
Poeltl's ability to set timely screens and spark the Raptors' interior attack didn't come from admiration for another center'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 screen where you're just standing there,” said Poeltl, who is averaging 10.6 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists over 16 games when he rests his lower back in half of straight games.
“In the NBA, there's more ability to grab, hold and push in those situations, and I think over the years I've tried to incorporate that into my roll-and-roll game.”
Raptors point guard Emmanuel Quickley certainly appreciates Poeltl's ability to make choices.
“Incredible man, I have to give Jacob a lot of credit,” Quickley said after Tuesday's 121-118 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. “He’s one of the best screen directors I’ve ever played with and he’s such an unselfish player who puts his body on the line defensively.
“You have to give credit to Jacob (…) and the viewing. It's an act of unselfishness towards your teammates, so we really appreciate it.”
The Raptors will host the Los Angeles Lakers (15-5) on Thursday night at Scotiabank Arena. Poeltl will be the backbone of Toronto's defense as it tries to contain the dual threats of point guard Luka Doncic and small forward LeBron James.
“I think the problem is how do we even — even if these are guys who can read the court, who are known to make good passes and things like that — how do we make it as difficult for them as possible?” – Poeltl said. “How can we disrupt their ball movement? How can we make them play stationary?”
“Maybe use them in some ISO situations, making passing angles difficult for them, giving our defense enough time to react to their ball movement.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 3, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
