By selecting Utah's Jakob Poeltl with the ninth pick in the 2016 NBA draft, the Toronto Raptors pre-emptively addressed their one roster hole that free agency created.
Poeltl was one of the most pro-ready players in the 2016 rookie class, and he has an opportunity to fill the backup center spot left vacant by Bismack Biyombo, who signed with the Orlando Magic.
Poeltl was an unknown two years ago when he arrived from Austria, but he quickly got on the NBA's radar when he made an immediate impact at Utah. He was considered a possible lottery pick after his freshman season, but he decided to return after Utah head coach Larry Krystkowiak told him he didn't think he was ready.
"I think he knew what was right for him, and he tackled every single thing that was considered a weakness a year ago and made improvements and really enhanced his opportunity," Krystkowiak told Bleacher Report leading up to the draft. "He just kept approaching his weaknesses: his free-throw shooting, his strength, his moves, his defense not fouling. He stayed in the moment and kept trying to improve all of those things."
The ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by C.J. Moore
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July 26th, 2016 by C.J. Moore Leave a reply »
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