A promising freshman year at Utah put Jakob Poeltl on the map after he'd arrived from Austria as a relative unknown. He's now arguably the top center prospect in college hoops three months into his sophomore season.
Where we initially only saw upside—not necessarily the convincing production to back it up—he's putting up big numbers while showcasing significant offensive improvement. This big leap forward from last year is a big deal for a player whose primary selling point was mostly driven by defensive potential.
With the possibility of landing a spot in the 2015 lottery, he took some risk in returning to Utah. But by the looks of things, that gamble should pay off. Poeltl has emerged as one of the best bigs in the country and a lock for an invite to 2016's green room.
Relevant Stats
Per 40 minutes, he's averaging 24.4 points, up from 15.7 points a season ago. He's taking 3.9 more shots per game, yet he's still converting from the floor at a tremendous 65 percent clip.
His developments as a passer and free-throw s ...
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Article written by Jonathan Wasserman