His impact is at an all-time low for a team that is down 0-2 in the playoffs, and they need him to return to form if they want to come back in the series.
Head coach Darko Rajakovic and the Toronto Raptors face a 0-2 series deficit in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals after a 115-105 defeat to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night. Both games had stretches of high-level competition, but ultimately the experience of the Cavaliers has far outweighed that of the Raptors, leading to back-to-back home wins at Rocket Arena.
The two losses came in different ways; Game 1 was an impressive offensive performance from the Raptors in the first half, but they lacked defense in the second half. Game 2 showed the Raptors scoring just 19 first-quarter points with a lack of fight to erase the seven-point deficit as a result.
Toronto Raptors guard Ja'Kobe Walter (14) and Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) | © David Dermer-Imagn ImagesOne of the bright spots in both games for Toronto has been standout rookie lottery pick Collin Murray-Boyles. He contributed 17 points and seven rebounds with a steal and a block off the bench in Game 2. He was able to see a more considerable role due to the lackluster play from starting center Jakob Poeltl. It took just nine minutes of play for Rajakovic to remove Poeltl from the lineup entirely, largely because of his lack of intensity on defense and rebounding.
Going into Game 3, Rajakovic emphasized the importance of Poeltl playing well for the Raptors, along with his confidence in his ability to do so.
“He needs to be part of the solution for us,” said Rajakovic. “He needs to be more aggressive. He needs to dominate the glass... He's going to be a big part of Game 3, and I believe he's going to perform really well."
Simply put, the Austrian big man is being paid far too much to produce this little in the postseason. Just this past summer, he signed an extension worth $84 million to keep him in Toronto through 2030. The Raptors are in dire need of paint scoring, interior defense, and rebounding, which are all in his realm of capabilities.
His stats from the regular season certainly don’t jump off the stat sheet, especially considering he played just 46 games due to a lower back strain. In fact, over the last three seasons, Poeltl has only played a maximum of 57 games in a season, proving that he may not be reliable from a durability standpoint moving forward.
Now that he is healthy, though, he will be required to put pressure on Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley from a rebounding standpoint. The frontcourt duo presents impressive shot blocking and help defense, so he will need to be ready to attack the offensive glass and score on any dump-offs when his teammates are driving to the basket. The Raptors need his stability to avoid suffering a 3-0 deficit, which has never been overcome in the history of the NBA playoffs.