Jakob Poeltl Shares Update on His Back After Raptors' Opener

A back injury that flared up at training camp a year ago followed center Jakob Poeltl through the whole 2025-26 season, and it held him to just 46 games for the Toronto Raptors.

That is why his first preseason game this fall meant more than the final score, even though Saturday's opener in Quebec City ended in a 129-105 loss to the Miami Heat.

Poeltl started and played 18 minutes, made all three of his shots from the field on two layups off cuts and a hook shot, and went 3-of-4 at the free-throw line for nine points.

He also had two steals and a block, and the Raptors were eight points better than the Heat with him on the floor in a game they lost by 24.

Toronto shot just 12-of-41 from three, so his night was one of the few bright spots.

For Poeltl, the night was more about how he felt than what he scored.

He said after the game, as the Toronto Star's Doug Smith reported, that a real game is always a little different from practice, and then he gave an encouraging update on his body.

"But it felt good overall. I was pretty happy with where I was at just bodywise, conditioning-wise and stuff like that," Poeltl said.

Two seasons ago, before the back became a problem, he posted career highs with 14.5 points and 9.6 rebounds per game, and that is the player Toronto is counting on now.

He spent the summer resting and training back home in Austria, and TSN reported that he told reporters at media day he was feeling good going into the season.

There is another reason the Raptors want him at full strength.

Toronto first drafted Poeltl ninth overall in 2016 and then sent him to San Antonio in the 2018 trade that brought forward Kawhi Leonard to Toronto the first time.

Now Leonard is back, and Poeltl should be the center next to him once Leonard is ready to go.

Leonard went through his first full practice on Monday as the team brings him along slowly.

The Raptors signed Poeltl to a four-year extension in July 2025 that was reported at $104 million, and that deal only looks good if he can stay on the floor.

After the injury update that drew attention in September, I think his clean start is the best news Toronto has gotten out of camp so far.

Head coach Darko Rajaković said Leonard is probably not going to play against the Los Angeles Clippers either, so Poeltl could see real minutes again when the two teams meet on Saturday at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, in a game that is shaping up to be a fun one.

The regular season opens against the Chicago Bulls on Oct. 21 at Scotiabank Arena.

Poeltl turns 31 next week and is heading into his 11th NBA season, so the Raptors know exactly what they get from him when he is healthy.

If the back keeps holding up like this, Toronto will have one of the steadiest centers in the East.