Jakob Poeltl
Poeltl is Toronto's nominal starting center, but his value this season depends on whether his back lets him play a full schedule.
Role
Starter at center. Hottakes.com, citing an Underdog lineup alert, had him starting Toronto's Friday game against Washington and its Sunday game at Minnesota, two days ago and today. Crafted NBA's depth chart projects about 27 minutes, with Trayce Jackson-Davis as the backup at about 13. The Toronto Raptors News depth chart lists Collin Murray-Boyles as his main backup, with Jackson-Davis third. Scottie Barnes and Kawhi Leonard are in the same starting five. I found no reported usage rate. The wire note says he was rested for a preseason game, and a Hottakes piece says he has been rested on back-to-backs before. I found no confirmed regular-season rest plan.
A Yahoo Sports piece from about 55 days ago says he is still the best center on the roster. It says the starting group with him at center posted a plus-7.6 net rating, against plus-4.1 with Murray-Boyles in his place. The gap was on offense, which fell to 109.9 points per 100 possessions. That piece, and another from Raptors Rapture, frame this season as a chance to bounce back from an injury-hit year. He has also been a reliable screener and finisher, shooting 70.0% from the field in 2025-26.
Last season he played only 3 games (204 minutes in our data), and his back is the reason the center group is in question. A Yahoo Sports projection from about 117 days ago said he should probably move to a backup role. A FanSided piece from about 41 days ago called him a nominal starter because of his contract, and expected Murray-Boyles to play more. Raptors Rapture said Toronto never upgraded the position. The Yahoo health piece also flagged the thin depth behind him if his back flares up, and noted a thumb problem for another center.
Where analysts split
Whether he keeps the starting job and a real workload once healthy, or becomes a nominal starter with Murray-Boyles taking more minutes. Opinion also differs on his durability. Several of these sources are months old, and I found no current beat-writer or Athletic coverage of his minutes.
Injury: GTD: assessed real
Left shoulder bursitis, out second straight game
Poeltl is ruled out for Monday against the Clippers with left shoulder bursitis, missing his second consecutive game, and Jackson-Davis is set to start again in his place.
What would change this: Whether Poeltl practices or is upgraded ahead of the next game, and whether a firmer return date is given.
Research confidence: thin. Outlooks are grounded in web search over current reporting and refreshed through the season.
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