Raptors' Jakob Poeltl Status Revealed For Pistons Game

Jakob Poeltl has been on the sidelines for most of the season with a back injury for the Toronto Raptors.

Toronto Raptors center Jakob Poeltl gets control of a rebound against the Boston Celtics. | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Toronto Raptors centre Jakob Poeltl should be all smiles ahead of the team's game against the Detroit Pistons.

According to TSN reporter Josh Lewenberg, Poeltl is active and good to go for the matchup against the Pistons.

"Jakob Poeltl is available for the first time in 25 games. He’ll be on a minutes restriction, being that he hasn’t played in 7+ weeks. No CMB for the Raps and Detroit will be without their suspended frontcourt duo, Duren and Stewart," Lewenberg tweeted.

Jakob Poeltl is available for the first time in 25 games. He’ll be on a minutes restriction, being that he hasn’t played in 7+ weeks. No CMB for the Raps and Detroit will be without their suspended frontcourt duo, Duren and Stewart.

— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) February 11, 2026

Poeltl Active vs. Pistons

With Poeltl available, the Raptors will have a chance to get him acclimated before the team takes off for the All-Star break. Now, the Raptors should have a big advantage with Poeltl back in the frontcourt against the Pistons, who won't have Jalen Duren or Isaiah Stewart, who are both out due to being suspended by the league for their roles in a brawl against the Charlotte Hornets.

Poeltl's return is a long time coming for the Raptors. He has not played since early December and has missed the last 25 games for the team. The Raptors could have waited until after the All-Star break for him to return, but the team felt he was ready to go for the final game of the first half against the Pistons.

Poeltl has been inching closer to a return for the past few weeks, so getting him back before the All-Star break should be a sign that he has a clean bill of health.

Poeltl was floating around in rumours before the trade deadline, but he was ultimately kept in Toronto, possibly due to the fact that he was going to be returning very soon. Getting Poeltl back in the lineup will be big for the Raptors. The team has been leaning on Scottie Barnes and Collin Murray-Boyles to be small-ball centres for the Raptors. It has worked, but it's hard to imagine how it will translate in a playoff series.

The Raptors need to see a healthy Poeltl operate with the team to see how much they can play him in the postseason. The Raptors hope they can play him as much as possible, but the team should get a better idea after he sees the court for a few games.

Tip-off between the Pistons and Raptors is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET. Fans can watch the game on Sportsnet or stream it on NBA League Pass.