Go-to guy Poeltl may be going elsewhere
LOS ANGELES — Conceivably, there is a world where Jakob Poeltl acts like other go-to guys do. In that world he announces to his coach he's taking control, demands the ball in crunch time, waves away a teammate setting a screen, and goes right at his defender, over and over, one-on-one.
That world might exist. But for the life of him, Spurs guard Doug Mcdermott cannot imagine it.
“It would be really weird,” Mcdermott said, acknowledging the obvious.
And even in the midst of the most prolific stretch of his career, the Spurs' increasingly dominant big man conceded with a smile Saturday night that no matter how many shots he makes, teammates like Mcdermott probably shouldn't expect him to start calling his own plays and having everyone clear out of his way.
“I don't think that ever will be me,” Poeltl said.
Poeltl is, after all, who he is. But more and more, it's becoming clear that who Poeltl is one of the best all-around centers in the NBA.
Whether he demands it or not, the Spurs are happy to let him take control whenever he gets the chance. Meanwhile, teams that consider themselves championship contenders this season are finding reasons to covet the 7-foot-1 Austrian not only for his well-established defensive prowess, but also for all he brings at the other end of the floor.
“I enjoy playing this way,” Poeltl said.
The question now is if he soon will have to enjoy playing that way somewhere else.
Every year since being sent to San Antonio from Toronto in the Kawhi Leonard trade in 2018, Poeltl has added something. Last season, he took a significant leap. But lately, in the last year of a contract that will make him a free agent next summer, he’s taken another.
Last Tuesday in Sacramento, Poeltl scored a career-high 31 points. Over a six-game span, he was averaging 17.3 points per game on 67.1 percent shooting, to go with 9.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists.
Yes, the Spurs headed into Sunday’s Lakers game — which Poeltl was set to miss with knee soreness — in a miserable slump, having lost nine of 10. But most nights, they’re making opponents work, and most nights it’s largely because of the guy who initiates almost everything from his spot next to the free-throw line.
“He’s a better playmaker than people give him credit for,” Mcdermott said. “He’s scoring, but he’s also kind of running the offense through the elbow.”
This is not how most teams operate in the modern-day NBA. But the Spurs love the options Poeltl provides with the ball in his hands in the center of the court, whether he’s looking for a cutter toward the basket, whipping the ball to a 3-point shooter, or putting the ball on the floor to set up his consistently effective running floater.
He’s shooting as much as he ever has, and this season he’s still making 64.2 percent of his attempts.
“I’m still not forcing anything, at least I don’t think so,” Poeltl said. “But if a game goes that way, I’m going to go for it.”
To teams looking to add size and defense on the trade market, Poeltl’s blossoming offensive repertoire only make him more appealing. To be sure, nobody is going to add him to be a go-to scorer, or even as a third or fourth offensive option.
But the fact that he’s proving to be a positive contributor on offense only increases his value, and the Spurs will have a decision to make in the next couple of months.
Because by league rules the team is limited in the amount of a raise it can offer Poeltl in an extension, he’s almost certain to hit the July free-agent market, where he can sign a much bigger deal. In theory, the Spurs can sign him to that much bigger deal whether they trade him or not.
Add all this together, and it means rumblings about his availability aren’t likely to die down until he’s on another team or the trade deadline passes in early February. So how does Poeltl deal with the thought of leaving?
“I’m aware of the possibility, but it doesn’t affect my mindset during this season,” Poeltl said. “It’s a possibility at all times in the NBA. Sometimes there’s more trade rumors, sometimes there’s less.”
Despite all that speculation, Poeltl doesn’t think it’s a foregone conclusion he’ll end up somewhere else. The Spurs might end up keeping him past the deadline. Or they might deal him for draft picks, then bring him back next summer.
One thing is certain: He likes being in San Antonio.
“Just the way we play basketball is fun to play,” Poeltl said. “There’s a lot of upside with this team for me personally, just the way we’re trying to build something. So I definitely can see myself staying.”
And if a world exists in which he signs a new contract with the Spurs?
To Poeltl, and to the teammates who keep looking to him as a go-to guy, that wouldn’t seem so weird at all.