The big man market during the 2023 free agency market is rather thin. Now, one of the few top big men in the market has found a new home. Jakob Poeltl has agreed to a four-year, $80 million contract extension to stay with the Toronto Raptors, as reported by Woj.

Jakob Poeltl Player Background

Jakob Poeltl was one of the few lottery picks the Raptors have made during the Masai Ujiri era. The former Utah Utes center was selected ninth overall by Toronto in 2016. In Toronto, Poeltl developed into an effective big man who can protect the rim and be a roll threat on the other end. He was part of Toronto's iconic Bench Mob that made waves back in 2018.

Poeltl was then packaged with DeMar DeRozan and sent to the Spurs in the fateful Kawhi Leonard trade. In San Antonio, Jakob Poeltl continued his development into an underrated big man in the league. The center worked on his post game while still continuing to be a menace on the defensive end and on the boards. Eventually, Poeltl was traded once again, ironically back to the Raptors.

Upon his return to Toronto, Poeltl immediately brought a sense of stability to the team. The Raptors always lacked a reliable center who can focus solely on defense. With Poeltl back in the fold, Toronto was able to sneak their way into the Play-In Tournament.

Jakob Poeltl Fit With Raptors

The Raptors gets one of the most underrated players in the league in Jakob Poeltl. His best qualities are his rim protection (1.3 blocks per game) and his finishing around rim. In San Antonio, Poeltl was also able to develop a small passing game. While it's not on Nikola Jokic's level, it's enough to keep defenses honest.