His return from a 24-game absence streak was largely overshadowed by the poor effort against the East's top team.
The Toronto Raptors were defeated 113-95 Wednesday night in Scotiabank Arena against the top-seed in the Eastern Conference, the Detroit Pistons. Playing without their two leading centers, Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart, due to fight-related suspensions by the NBA, the Pistons dominated Toronto wire to wire.
A bright spot for Toronto was the return of starting center Jakob Poeltl; he was on a minutes restriction in his first appearances after 24-straight missed games due to a lower back strain. His production was lackluster in the blowout (nine points and six rebounds), but having the core starting five back on the court together will help boost team chemistry going into the final 27 games of the regular season.
Toronto Raptors center Jakob Poeltl (19) | © John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
After his first game back, the Austrian big man gave his thoughts on where the team is at compared to last season.
“I think overall we can be happy with our progress,” said Poeltl. “We’re also aware that there’s much more room for growth, individually and as a team. We have such a long way to go still, games like tonight kinda show that for us a bit. Still not where we want to be.”
His words are honest, yet enlightening for Raptors fans. It seems there is a consistent theme around this team of not being complacent, even after missing the playoffs for three consecutive seasons. The players, coaching staff, and management have all been outspoken about their higher standards and goals than simply returning to the postseason, although it is the first step.
This blowout loss to the Pistons was not a fluke for the fifth-seed in the East. Against average or worse teams, the Raptors have proven consistently that they can take care of business when they are supposed to. However, against the top 10 teams, outside of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Toronto possesses a 1-13 record, with 10 of those losses coming at home.
While the two All-Stars for the Raptors, Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram, have shown their ability to produce night in and night out, the role players need to step up consistently to give Toronto a chance against the top teams. The deepest teams are the ones who typically have the most success through the playoffs, and the Raptors do not fall amongst the top teams in the NBA in terms of quality bench depth.
Rookie first-round pick Collin Murray-Boyles sat out in this game with the lower thumb contusion he has been battling for the last few months. It will be interesting to see his role after starting to come into his own playing with the starters. He will inevitably be moved to the bench unit with Poeltl back in the lineup, but it’s to be determined how his minutes will be affected, along with his role offensively without the stars alongside him.