The Toronto Raptors have made the extension of center Jakob Poeltl official – a four-year, $104 million deal. This deal keeps Poeltl with the team at least through the 2029-2030 season. It features a $19.5 million player option for the 2026-2027 season. The extension comes in the wake of Poeltl’s breakout campaign a year ago. He was not only the most valuable player on offense, he had an equally important impact on the game on defense.
Poeltl played a career-high 29.6 minutes per game last season, a testament to his impact on the Raptors’ starting five. His scoring hit career highs, as he averaged 14.5 points per outing. He continued to display his elite rebounding prowess, averaging an exceptional 9.6 boards at a prolific rate. This performance helped cement his place as an integral piece of the puzzle.
Meshawn Poeltl’s efficiency was the most impressive, as he recorded an overwhelming 63% field goal shooting. This mark was fifth in the NBA amongst qualified players, emphasizing his scoring prowess while maximizing missed shots. Throughout the season, he showed that with 300 field goal attempts, a clear sign of how present he was on the offensive end.
Besides his scoring and rebounding, Poeltl did a great job as a playmaker. He finished in the top-10 of the NBA in screen assists per game and points created off those screen assists. His bone-rattling screens have made him an incredibly valuable player for his teammates. As a result of his contributions, they are able to take advantage of scoring opportunities now.
Over the course of his career, Poetl has continued to surprise and wow us. He’s scored 30 points or more in four breakout games! Most impressively, he pulled off this trick twice during the NCAA tournament last season, putting an even finer polish on his development as a scoring prospect.
Prior to his return to Toronto, Poeltl played more than four seasons with the San Antonio Spurs. While he played there, he was remarkably consistent, averaging 8.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists over 326 games. Vision, cutting, passing, basketball IQ…his time with the Spurs helped shape his game and prepare him for the next level. It also established the foundation for his eventual success in Toronto.
Whether it’s his time with the Nuggets, Magic, or Spurs, Poeltl has always shown elite efficiency at every stop. He’s unique in foil of being one of only three players to lead the league in scoring. Most importantly, for the last eight years, he’s shot 60% or better from the field. It’s hard to find a better example of consistency and effectiveness than him, along with Rudy Gobert and DeAndre Jordan.
With the Raptors, Poeltl has established a new franchise record with a 64% field goal percentage. This truly remarkable accomplishment is generated by players with at least 500 shot attempts. Maybe even more impressive than that statistic is how well he fits into the team’s offensive system.
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