Opposing coach calls Raptors vet one of NBA's most underrated players

Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle was feeling kind on Tuesday to one of the Toronto Raptors’ most-seasoned players.

Through the first 22 games of the Raptors season, just one player — Jakob Poeltl — has been in the lineup for each and every game. As the team’s fourth oldest player, Poeltl is putting up a career-high 16 points per game this season, while also averaging over 30 minutes a night for the first time in his nine seasons.

When asked a question about the future of the NBA game, Carlisle chose to shower the Raptors big man with a bit of praise for the role he’s taken on this year.

“It seems logical that [the next step in the NBA] would be more speed and then the centre position becoming more skilled and being able to shoot from further out, top to bottom… Poeltl’s one of the more underrated players in the league right now.”

Carlisle then backed up his claim with a bit of evidence.

“He doesn’t have a stretch game, I think he leads the league in layups or something,” Carlisle said.

While “layups” aren’t a publicly tracked stat, Poeltl’s 7.4 field goals attempted from the paint, 4.7 field goals made, and 11.3 paint touches per game all are tied or alone in the NBA lead, with three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic either right behind him or tied in all three categories.

Meanwhile, he was also spot on about Poeltl’s lack of a “stretch game,” as he’s hit just two three-pointers in his nine-year NBA career.

Poeltl isn’t a perfect player by any means — he’s leading the NBA in fouls — but he’s also been up near the top of another category, as he’s second in the league in offensive rebounds.

Following the game, Toronto head coach Darko Rajakovic replied to Carlisle’s praise of Poeltl.

“I have a huge respect for Jakob and what he brings to the team,” Rajakovic added. “I think he’s an outstanding teammate, outstanding competitor, and he’s proving it night in and night out. I think he’s playing outstanding basketball this year.”

While Poeltl will probably never make an All-Star team or compete for too many individual accolades, it’s likely nice for the veteran to see rival coaches recognize his worth.

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