buttsR4rebounding
11-02-2021, 06:46 AM
https://hoopshype.com/lists/nba-stats-scottie-barnes-evan-fournier-jakob-poeltl/
Jakob Poeltl
(AP Photo/Sam Hodde)
THE KEY: The league’s most underrated paint beast
The San Antonio Spurs only got one young asset in return for Kawhi Leonard. But that player, Jakob Poeltl, has actually turned out to be a solid option in the frontcourt. This season, he is making a case for not only NBA’s All-Defense consideration but also Most Underrated Big Man in the League.
His offensive rebound percentage (16.1 percent) ranks in the 98th percentile among bigs, per Cleaning the Glass. Meanwhile, he is passing the ball significantly more often per game so far this year (49.8) than he did last year (33.1) as well.
But most importantly, the big man has more paint touches (62) than any other player in the league. He is averaging 11.2 paint touches per game. For comparison, during the 2019-20 campaign, the big averaged just 4.7 paint touches per game.
Specifically, he is making his living from the high post. Poeltl has 46 touches on the elbow this season, the most in the league. He is touching the ball at the elbow twice as often as he did just last season. The San Antonio center has also already connected on 15 field goals from this part of the floor. Only one other player in the league has more than ten.
For what it’s worth, he is dunking the ball more often than ever before, too. He had 141 dunks in the first 348 games of his career — or 0.40 per game. This season, he already has seven dunks in six games — or 1.2 per game.
His overall presence near the basket has been massive. Per 100 possessions, among those who have logged at least 100 minutes, only five players have made more field goals at the rim than Poeltl (7.69) has made.
Meanwhile, on the other end of the floor, he has defended 63 field goal attempts at the rim. That’s good for the most in the league as well.
His rim protection, even against some of the league’s best interior scorers like Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis, has been nothing short of elite.
Jakob Poeltl
(AP Photo/Sam Hodde)
THE KEY: The league’s most underrated paint beast
The San Antonio Spurs only got one young asset in return for Kawhi Leonard. But that player, Jakob Poeltl, has actually turned out to be a solid option in the frontcourt. This season, he is making a case for not only NBA’s All-Defense consideration but also Most Underrated Big Man in the League.
His offensive rebound percentage (16.1 percent) ranks in the 98th percentile among bigs, per Cleaning the Glass. Meanwhile, he is passing the ball significantly more often per game so far this year (49.8) than he did last year (33.1) as well.
But most importantly, the big man has more paint touches (62) than any other player in the league. He is averaging 11.2 paint touches per game. For comparison, during the 2019-20 campaign, the big averaged just 4.7 paint touches per game.
Specifically, he is making his living from the high post. Poeltl has 46 touches on the elbow this season, the most in the league. He is touching the ball at the elbow twice as often as he did just last season. The San Antonio center has also already connected on 15 field goals from this part of the floor. Only one other player in the league has more than ten.
For what it’s worth, he is dunking the ball more often than ever before, too. He had 141 dunks in the first 348 games of his career — or 0.40 per game. This season, he already has seven dunks in six games — or 1.2 per game.
His overall presence near the basket has been massive. Per 100 possessions, among those who have logged at least 100 minutes, only five players have made more field goals at the rim than Poeltl (7.69) has made.
Meanwhile, on the other end of the floor, he has defended 63 field goal attempts at the rim. That’s good for the most in the league as well.
His rim protection, even against some of the league’s best interior scorers like Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis, has been nothing short of elite.