Raptors

When Jakob Poeltl has been on the floor, the Toronto Raptors' offensive rating and defensive rating are better than the best marks in the league.

Poeltl is not only a terrific screener and surprisingly good passer for a big man, but he is a career 62% finisher from the field. However, Poeltl’s offensive skills have provided a noticeable bump whenever he is on the floor. On the offensive end, the Raptors have a 118.9 offensive rating that exceeds what the Nuggets are producing at an NBA-best 117.7 mark. Poeltl was brought in to be a defensive stopper, but his performance on the offensive end has won him some nonstop praise. [has been on the floor,](https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/2936/onoff#tab-team_efficiency) Toronto’s 103.0 defensive rating is much better than the 109.5 the league-leading Cavaliers are exhibiting. The impact that Poeltl has on this team is palpable, but some of the advanced numbers make him look like a Greek mythic hero.

As the Toronto Raptors zero in on a playoff run, the possibility of Jeff Dowtin Jr. finding his way into the fringe of Nurse's rotation could pay important ...

As the Raptors zero in on a playoff run, the possibility of Dowtin Jr. One of the other highlights of Dowtin Jr.’s season came against the Pistons in a road win on Nov. We got to find out and now's the time.” he just does it on the ball, he does it with his hands, he does it with his feet and he does it off the ball.” For Dowtin Jr., the window could have opened at a better time. You have to find your niche, find ways to be effective in the practice facility, put in that extra time and be prepared for the unexpected. Like I told him before the game, I said listen, ‘I'm going with you tonight and you gotta match up here with Alvarado, you gotta go after this dude. He likes what Dowtin Jr. he’d be playing against the Pelicans before the game, with a specific assignment to match the energy and intensity that New Orleans sparkplug Jose Alvarado brings off the bench for them. [Fred VanVleet](/basketball/nba/players/fred-vanvleet/707832) out of the lineup for personal reasons Raptors head coach Nick Nurse decided to use Dowtin Jr. In his situation, the latter is more important than the former. The numbers don’t shout – five points and three steals aren’t headline-grabbing stuff in what was a 115-110 win.

Toronto Raptors point guard Fred VanVleet has been ruled for Saturday's game against the Detroit Pistons as he is still away for personal reasons, per TSN's ...

Toronto Raptors point guard Fred VanVleet has been ruled for Saturday's game against the Detroit Pistons as he is still away for personal reasons, per TSN's Josh Lewenberg. Toronto Raptors point guard Fred VanVleet has been ruled for Saturday's game against the Detroit Pistons as he is still way for personal reasons, per TSN's Josh Lewenberg. Fred VanVleet has been ruled out for tomorrow’s matinee in Detroit.

Truth be told, Jakob Poeltl had mixed emotions about the timing of the All-Star break. On one hand, it was nice to get some much-needed rest and relaxation.

“With every game there’s more opportunities to learn my teammates, learn their tendencies, know where to be to play off them, know who to give the ball to in what situations,” he said. So, it might take some time for me to really figure it out to be in the right spot all the time, but I’ll get there.” The Spurs were in the middle of a long road trip and, coincidently, playing in Toronto the night that Poeltl was traded. “It’s more or less a temporary situation for the rest of the season here,” said Poeltl. Over time, they hope to do some tinkering and start adapting the defence a bit more to fit Poeltl’s strengths. It has to come as second nature; you have to be in the right spot at the right time. It was the type of game they’ve lost over and over again this season. But most importantly, the organization’s intention is to win games now and in the future, and it’s clear they consider him a big part of that future. This time, they came away with a 115-110 win, and the biggest difference was Poeltl. With his size, intellect and ability to protect the paint, he’s raised the Raptors’ ceiling defensively, as they hoped he would. “I got some time to get off my feet and reset mentally,” said Poeltl, who spent the weekend at a resort in Mexico. Considering they don’t project to have meaningful cap space in the off-season, think of it as them doing their free agent shopping early.

On a team looking to bump its defensive cred, rookie Jeff Dowtin Jr. could be on the verge of earning himself a contract.

In that one, he started at point guard and led the team in scoring with 27 points, a career NBA high. “Definitely, it is natural for me,” Dowtin said following a morning practice Friday. “He’s just really good defensively,” Nurse said. This season, they currently sit tied for 16th at 113.6 and Nurse has made improving that figure a priority over the 23 games following the all-star break. Article content

Raptors star Fred VanVleet will miss his second straight game on Saturday against the Pistons due to personal reasons.

The Raptors have not provided any details with regard to what exactly FVV is dealing with right now. He is currently dealing with an undisclosed personal issue, and the fact that he’s already been ruled out 24 hours before the game is a tad concerning. They did so without [Fred VanVleet](https://clutchpoints.com/raptors-news-fred-vanvleet-makes-major-free-agency-change-that-will-catch-lebron-james-attention), though, after the 29-year-old was a late scratch for that matchup.

It's safe to say that Jakob Poeltl is making his presence felt on the Raptors. In Toronto's final game before the All-Star break, Poeltl led the way with 30 ...

In addition to his rim protection, he's averaging 3.8 offensive rebounds per game and 4.3 points per game off putbacks in a Raptors uniform, the latter of which is Opponents also shot [8.2 percentage points worse than expected](https://www.nba.com/stats/players/defense-dash-lt6?Season=2021-22) when he was around the basket, another mark that had him rubbing shoulders with the best rim protectors in the NBA. "Obviously, we know him," Siakam told The Sporting News about Poeltl at All-Star Weekend. Khem Birch was largely ineffective on both ends of the floor, and smaller Raptors units were getting carved up at the rim. Poeltl's assignment, Valanciunas, is the last Pelicans player to make his way up the floor. Nick Nurse was also an assistant coach at the time. He's not connecting on those opportunities at the same level as them, but his size and length make his pull-up jumper almost unblockable. In Toronto's final game before the All-Star break, Poeltl led the way with 30 points, nine rebounds and six blocks in a win over Orlando. and U.K.](https://www.nba.com/watch/league-pass-stream?cid=nba:ilp:partner:affiliate:othaff:display:eg:acq:sub:t-gpm:Global20:global:u-en:) One, it's some textbook defense from Poeltl, who has developed into one of the better anchors at the center position. [All other countries](https://www.nba.com/watch/league-pass-stream?cid=nba:ilp:partner:affiliate:othaff:display:eg:acq:sub:t-gpm:Generic:global:u-en) Throughout the 2022-23 NBA season, our TSN staff will break down certain possessions from certain games and peel back the curtains to reveal their bigger meaning.

TORONTO — Le joueur étoile Pascal Siakam a récolté 26 points, jeudi, aidant les Raptors de Toronto à l'emporter 115-110 devant les Pelicans de La ...

Le groupe va ensuite rendre visite aux Cavaliers dimanche, à partir de 18h00. Il retrouve un peu ses terres, ayant débuté sa carrière avec le clan canadien. TORONTO — Le joueur étoile Pascal Siakam a récolté 26 points, jeudi, aidant les Raptors de Toronto à l’emporter 115-110 devant les Pelicans de La Nouvelle-Orléans.

The dancers and steel pans were out in full effect, Kevin Lyttle and Patrice Roberts performed and numerous Raptors talked postgame (Scottie Barnes, Chris ...

was but decided to help out on Siakam getting into the paint. Poeltl already had a high basketball IQ so his re-connection with Pascal Siakam and VanVleet was easy to predict. Contributing to the change of fortunes was the return of O.G. Look no further than his final game as a Spur in Toronto, hours before he switched locker rooms and was attacked at will by Pascal Siakam, Scottie Barnes and Fred VanVleet. He gathered at the three point arc and took off just a foot inside the free throw line. To top it off, Boucher ended that sequence by blocking a three at the buzzer.

TORONTO – Truth be told, Jakob Poeltl had mixed emotions about the timing of the All-Star break. On one hand, it was nice to get some much-needed rest and ...

“With every game there’s more opportunities to learn my teammates, learn their tendencies, know where to be to play off them, know who to give the ball to in what situations,” he said. The Spurs were in the middle of a long road trip and, coincidently, playing in Toronto the night that Poeltl was traded. So, it might take some time for me to really figure it out to be in the right spot all the time, but I’ll get there.” Over time, they hope to do some tinkering and start adapting the defence a bit more to fit Poeltl’s strengths. It has to come as second nature; you have to be in the right spot at the right time. It was the type of game they’ve lost over and over again this season. This time, they came away with a 115-110 win, and the biggest difference was Poeltl. But most importantly, the organization’s intention is to win games now and in the future, and it’s clear they consider him a big part of that future. With his size, intellect and ability to protect the paint, he’s raised the Raptors’ ceiling defensively, as they hoped he would. Considering they don’t project to have meaningful cap space in the off-season, think of it as them doing their free agent shopping early. “I got some time to get off my feet and reset mentally,” said Poeltl, who spent the weekend at a resort in Mexico. On one hand, it was nice to get some much-needed rest and relaxation.

TORONTO — Pascal Siakam scored 26 points to help the Toronto Raptors fend off the New Orleans Pelicans 115-110 on Thursday as both teams returned from the ...