7-footer becoming a beast on offensive boards
It does not require a GPS to locate Spurs center Jakob Poeltl any time he is on the floor.
Probably, it does not require a game program either.
Just find the basket and look for the 7-foot-1 Austrian underneath it.
“He is around the rim on both ends of the floor,” forward Doug Mcdermott said. “He’s just very comforting to have out there.”
Poeltl’s work around the rim on the defensive end is a prime reason the Spurs have been a top-10 defensive team over the past 10 games.
His work on the offensive glass, meanwhile, has transformed him into a key figure in every opponents’ scouting report.
Before the Spurs’ 123-111 victory over Denver on Thursday, Nuggets coach Michael Malone noted Poeltl’s offensive rebounding prowess was a concern.
Poeltl went out and grabbed six of them.
The 26-year-old did one better than that in Sunday’s 112-97 win over New Orleans.
“He’s one of the best at it, maybe the best in the league,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said. “We talked to the guys about being able to withstand his ability to offensive rebound, but he had a really good night.”
Green was right. Poeltl leads the NBA in offensive rebounding with 4.3 per game, just ahead of Atlanta’s Clint Capela (4.0).
The way Poeltl explains it, several factors go into an offensive rebound. Persistence is one.
“It’s about consistently going for it, because not every ball is going to come your direction,” Poeltl said. “You have just got to stay consistent on the glass and keep going for it.” Opportunity is another.
“If I see my (defender) trying to contest a shot, contest a layup,” Poeltl said, “that’s when I am crashing even harder.”
An inherent feel for spatial geometry is yet another.
“I guess it’s a little bit like a natural instinct of where the ball is going bounce with what shot,” Poeltl said. “I kind of know the tendencies of were the ball is most likely to drop.”
The art of offensive rebounding is not exactly rocket science. Or is it?
“At the end of the day, it’s physics I guess,” Poeltl said. “Most of the time, the ball is going to bounce the opposite way. You can see often the ball might be short or long, and if I am watching the shot, I can tell early.”
Poeltl got started early in cleaning the offensive glass against New Orleans, rebounding a Mcdermott misfire on the game’s first possession.
That trip ended with a Dejounte Murray jumper.
Two minutes later, as Mcdermott missed a 3-pointer, Poeltl got a hand on the carom to tap it to Derrick White on the perimeter.
Later in the first quarter, Poeltl collected the rebound after Lonnie Walker missed a runner. That possession ended with a Walker 3-pointer.
The Spurs are averaging 14.4 second-chance points per game this season, many of them the result of Poeltl’s hustle. It has become a dependable part of the team’s offense.
“He’s always going to work the boards, always going to bust his ass in that regard,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “He’s very professional.”
Poeltl’s rebounding stands to be another key component Wednesday, when Charlotte visits the AT&T Center.
The Hornets allow 11.3 offensive board per game, fourthmost in the NBA.
As of Monday’s 120-96 loss in Dallas, Charlotte had four players in the NBA’S health and safety protocols or working their way out of them.
The Hornets could get one of those players back Wednesday. Reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Lamelo Ball — a player who leads the Hornets in most statistical categories, including rebounding — has been cleared to return.
The COVID-19 outbreak is a significant reason the Hornets have lost six of eight games coming into the AT&T Center.
“I love this group,” Charlotte coach James Borrego said. “I’m so proud of them. The resilience, the never-give-up, the fight, the perseverance and just the buy-in. … Those guys in the locker room deserve the credit.”
The undersized Hornets are likely to have their hands full with Poeltl, who though not a star is quickly climbing the ladder from “underrated” to “properly rated” across the NBA.
He ranks among the league leaders in statistics the common fan had not heard of 10 years ago but that are nevertheless important.
Poeltl’s 13.1 contested shots per game is second in the NBA behind Cleveland rookie Evan Mobley.
His 5.7 screen assists per game — meaning a set screen that results in points — are second to Utah’s Rudy Gobert. The 12.6 points per game those screens produce also trails only Gobert.
What the casual fan is most likely to notice about Poeltl is his hustle on the offensive boards.
“He gets his hands on everything,” Mcdermott said.
The benefit isn’t only in the rebounds Poeltl secures, but what he does with them.
“He does a really good job of finding shooters out of it,” Poeltl said. “Sometimes those are the best 3s you can get, the ones off offensive rebounds. He’s always looking for you.”
Those looking for Poeltl, meanwhile, know where to find him.