EVERY TIME YOU PUT HIM IN, HE DOES SOMETHING POSITIVE.

Valanciunas is more of an old school centre among today’s versatile big men. Offensively he’s one of the better shooters on the team and has expanded his range even from last year.

He’s still very effective banging with the other traditional bigs but struggles when he has to go outside to cover a big with shooting range and then recover back to the basket.

But Poeltl, even at this early stage in his career and the tender age of 21, is better equipped for that type of game and will eventually develop himself into that type of centre who can pull opposing covers out to the three-point line.

At some point the Raptors are going to have to make a decision on whether they can live with the defensive limitations Valanciunas comes with. His slow reaction time and slow recovery time are not traits Poeltl shares. The Austrian is athletic and considerably quicker than his Lithuanian counterpart.

Having said that, Raptors fans would be wise to recall that last year in the playoffs it was Valanciunas, until he got hurt in the Miami series, that was putting this team on his back and carrying them.

Poeltl is still at least a couple of years away from being able to do that.

But down the road, and not too far down the road, it’s not hard to imagine Poeltl getting that introduction as the Raptors’ starting centre.