Raptors need Jakob Poeltl healthy for long run

Jakob Poeltl might be the key to the Toronto Raptors' success.

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

Toronto Raptors centre Jakob Poeltl is still dealing with a lingering back injury that has plagued him since the start of the season.

Poeltl, 30, has missed seven games so far this season with a back injury and has not been playing back-to-backs upon his return. Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic spoke about Poeltl's struggles early in the season and credits that to his injuries.

“He definitely does not have rhythm. He’s not himself yet. Hopefully, the next couple of days are going to allow him and everybody on the team to bounce back and recover," Rajakovic said. "We’ll have some really good practices coming, and hopefully that gives us some good momentum.”

Darko on Jakob Pöltl:

“He definitely does not have rhythm. He’s not himself yet.”

“Hopefully the next couple of days are going to allow him and everybody on the team to bounce back and recover.”

“We’ll have some really good practices coming, and hopefully that gives us some… https://t.co/vv9vrotjl3 pic.twitter.com/JGPWmmgVjC

— Omer Osman (@OmerOsman200) December 10, 2025

Poeltl struggling to get rhythm

Last season, Poeltl was averaging 14.5 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. But both those numbers have dipped in the 2025-26 campaign. Now he is averaging just over 10 points per game to go with eight boards. His scoring output has been the lowest since the 2020-21 campaign when he was with the San Antonio Spurs.

The Raptors have been busy to start the season with 25 games and very little time in between them. However, the Raptors are getting some time off after their NBA Cup elimination, which should give Poeltl a chance to get his body right.

The Raptors are trying to find some big man depth in the trade market, which opens up in the coming days. This is because Poeltl has been dealing with injuries for the entirety of the season.

The Raptors are planning on making a deep run in the playoffs, so having Poeltl as healthy as possible will be important towards their success. If Poeltl is out for a long period of time, the Raptors' chances of winning will decrease significantly.

The Raptors struggle to rebound when they don't have a player like Poeltl out on the floor. That definitely hurts their ability to protect the rim as well. Once Poeltl is in more of a rhythm, like Rajakovic suggests, the Raptors will be better off as a team.

Part of when the Raptors are back on the court to take on All-Star centre Bam Adebayo and the Miami Heat. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 PM ET on Monday inside the Scotiabank Arena. Fans can watch the game on TSN Sports or stream it on NBA League Pass.