NBA
Jakob Pöltl is aiming for the play-off in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Toronto Raptors. “Then everything is possible,” said the 27-year-old from Vienna, who has been playing for the Canadians again since mid-February. “But it’s clear to us that we have to put on a run,” emphasized the center with 17 games left in the regular NBA season.
Pöltl is therefore aware that the “detour” via the play-in is probably more realistic. “We did very well in most games, we play good basketball, we only had a few slip-ups,” said the 27-year-old about the game in Cleveland and the duel with Washington on Thursday. The Raptors were “not working with enough intensity”. Over the course of the season, the team “sold itself short”, Pöltl attested. In any case, there is “room for improvement”.
The Viennese have the adjustment phase after the return to the Canadians behind them, the first games were tough. “But now I feel very comfortable.” He also settled in Toronto “relatively quickly”. It helped that Pöltl still knew teammates, coaches and also members of the staff from the years 2016 to 2018. Meeting former teammates is “extra fun”, it is “nice” to see former colleagues again, according to the center.
future still open
Pöltl is not yet thinking about the time after his contract expires in the summer. According to US media, the Viennese could earn around 20 million dollars (18.84 million euros) per season in the future. However, free agency is not an issue for the time being, the local NBA pioneer assured. “But I’m already aware that I’m going to face that in the near future.”