Jakob Poeltl is finalizing a three-year, near $27M deal to return to San Antonio

[horseshue]

Clearly Poeltl's FT woes (missing 1 of 2 last night) are the overwhelming reason for the loss.
the 3pt differential (4-21 at 19% vs 15-29 at 52%) is not a comparable impact on the game..

Just checked, jakob got 0/0 from 3 pts line. He needs to shoot more.

[cd98]

Jakob is a good center in the NBA. He makes a huge difference for the Spurs on defense. His offense is not great, but he does set good screens and he can work effectively in a screen and roll. His free throw shooting needs work. But if he had an offense, then he would have cost way more and he'd be an all star player. The Spurs are getting what they paid for from him. He's a legit starter and the numbers on the Spurs defense with him in the lineup don't lie. He blocks a lot of shots and changes a lot of shots and he is mobile on the perimeter. He would command a lot more money if he were a free agent this year.

[3&D_TBH]

PATFO knows that we have a lack of elite offensive talent on the team, particularly when it comes to shooting, so they are going all in on rebuilding the defensive iden y. I get that. But we really struggle with our shooting. We just need some of our young players to develop in that regard. Patience. Jakob is a place holder at his price. PATFO know that you can't win in the playoffs with his kind of abhorrent free throw shooting. Like I say all the time, this team is being built to be contenders in the next 2-3 years, not now. Jakob is serviceable at his price tag, but he is a backup when all is said and done. That's my opinion.

[Dejounte]

PATFO knows that we have a lack of elite offensive talent on the team, particularly when it comes to shooting, so they are going all in on rebuilding the defensive iden y. I get that. But we really struggle with our shooting. We just need some of our young players to develop in that regard. Patience. Jakob is a place holder at his price. PATFO know that you can't win in the playoffs with his kind of abhorrent free throw shooting. Like I say all the time, this team is being built to be contenders in the next 2-3 years, not now. Jakob is serviceable at his price tag, but he is a backup when all is said and done. That's my opinion.

Shooting isn't the issue. Shot creation is. The offense sometimes goes stale because we don't have a player who is a consistent threat to break down the opposing team's defense. Even if we had good shooters, it would be hard to get them in rhythm. Players are still developing into that, such as White and Murray who are closest because of their ball handling skills, and DeMar takes a big chunk of that responsibility too. If Jakob or another center was camping at the three point line, they still wouldn't make them at an above average rate because of how the offense still isn't up to par. Having a player who takes up 30% of your cap space and has those shot creating responsibilities being out affects that. What the Spurs plan to do with that cap space should be to go after a player who can create their shot, whether that's DeMar or another player.

[cd98]

PATFO knows that we have a lack of elite offensive talent on the team, particularly when it comes to shooting, so they are going all in on rebuilding the defensive iden y. I get that. But we really struggle with our shooting. We just need some of our young players to develop in that regard. Patience. Jakob is a place holder at his price. PATFO know that you can't win in the playoffs with his kind of abhorrent free throw shooting. Like I say all the time, this team is being built to be contenders in the next 2-3 years, not now. Jakob is serviceable at his price tag, but he is a backup when all is said and done. That's my opinion.

The Lakers won championships with Shaq and his terrible free throw shooting and he was a main offensive cog. The Spurs can win in the playoffs with Jakob. He'll improve as a free throw shooter, but teams can only strategically foul so much anyway and the league has put limits on that. He's not a main offensive player. His job is to screen and roll and attack the offensive rebounds. He's a solid passer for a big man. He's not a post player that draws lots of fouls. Also, notice that no one is intentionally fouling him now and they used to do that to players like him all the time. Certainly he needs to improve his free throw shooting to be a more effective player, but he is more than a place holder. He would easily command a higher salary if he were a free agent this year. People didn't get a chance to see his numbers last year as a spot starter. But this year they can see the type of impact he has on defense and I guarantee that he'd get scooped up at a higher salary. Spurs lucky to get him and lock him in for three years.

[r0drig0lac]

The Lakers won championships with Shaq and his terrible free throw shooting and he was a main offensive cog. The Spurs can win in the playoffs with Jakob. He'll improve as a free throw shooter, but teams can only strategically foul so much anyway and the league has put limits on that. He's not a main offensive player. His job is to screen and roll and attack the offensive rebounds. He's a solid passer for a big man. He's not a post player that draws lots of fouls. Also, notice that no one is intentionally fouling him now and they used to do that to players like him all the time. Certainly he needs to improve his free throw shooting to be a more effective player, but he is more than a place holder. He would easily command a higher salary if he were a free agent this year. People didn't get a chance to see his numbers last year as a spot starter. But this year they can see the type of impact he has on defense and I guarantee that he'd get scooped up at a higher salary. Spurs lucky to get him and lock him in for three years.

?

[cd98]

?

You don't need to have a team of 80% free throw shooters to win in the playoffs. Shaq was a poor shooter and his team won 3 in a row and people even intentionally fouled him. Shaq had the ball in his hands a lot. Jakob is a starter, but on offense, he has a limited role. He doesn't have the ball in his hands and he doesn't go to the line. They don't need him to be that kind of player. They can win with him in the playoffs as a starting center, especially one that touches the ball way less than a star like Shaq. If we relied on Jakob to be a 20 point a game scorer, then yes, free throw shooting would be an issue, but that's not his role on this team.

[Elementis]

let's also not forget that for 9m /year you are destined to get a C with strengths and weaknesses. if you want the stretch big that protects the rim and the perimeter, then you will find the list of candidates to be rather short, and most certainly very expensive.
do you want to pay that for a big to build around, and run out of cash to pay the developing core? or do you accept that your center won't solve all your problems, but have flexibility to add pieces or keep the young guns around?

[r0drig0lac]

You don't need to have a team of 80% free throw shooters to win in the playoffs. Shaq was a poor shooter and his team won 3 in a row and people even intentionally fouled him. Shaq had the ball in his hands a lot. Jakob is a starter, but on offense, he has a limited role. He doesn't have the ball in his hands and he doesn't go to the line. They don't need him to be that kind of player. They can win with him in the playoffs as a starting center, especially one that touches the ball way less than a star like Shaq. If we relied on Jakob to be a 20 point a game scorer, then yes, free throw shooting would be an issue, but that's not his role on this team.

thanks

[itzsoweezee]

You don't need to have a team of 80% free throw shooters to win in the playoffs. Shaq was a poor shooter and his team won 3 in a row and people even intentionally fouled him. Shaq had the ball in his hands a lot. Jakob is a starter, but on offense, he has a limited role. He doesn't have the ball in his hands and he doesn't go to the line. They don't need him to be that kind of player. They can win with him in the playoffs as a starting center, especially one that touches the ball way less than a star like Shaq. If we relied on Jakob to be a 20 point a game scorer, then yes, free throw shooting would be an issue, but that's not his role on this team.

Lol. No team with poetl as their starting center is winning anything in the playoffs.

I don’t think they’re even making the playoffs, but you went even beyond that.

This is 2021, not 2001. Big stiffs with no skills have no place being a starter in this league

[KobesAchilles]

You don't need to have a team of 80% free throw shooters to win in the playoffs. Shaq was a poor shooter and his team won 3 in a row and people even intentionally fouled him. Shaq had the ball in his hands a lot. Jakob is a starter, but on offense, he has a limited role. He doesn't have the ball in his hands and he doesn't go to the line. They don't need him to be that kind of player. They can win with him in the playoffs as a starting center, especially one that touches the ball way less than a star like Shaq. If we relied on Jakob to be a 20 point a game scorer, then yes, free throw shooting would be an issue, but that's not his role on this team.

Except Shaq averaged 30 and 15 and Jak gives you a fifth of that so that’s a stupid point. Might as well bring up Wilt’s free throw shooting too while you’re at it. Plus it’s a different era that caters to offense way more than 2001 ever did. Also they had Kobe effing Bryant who averaged 28 6 and elite defense during that run. We have none of those

[Elementis]

Except Shaq averaged 30 and 15 and Jak gives you a fifth of that so that’s a stupid point. Might as well bring up Wilt’s free throw shooting too while you’re at it. Plus it’s a different era that caters to offense way more than 2001 ever did. Also they had Kobe effing Bryant who averaged 28 6 and elite defense during that run. We have none of those

so are we missing the Shaq part or the Kobe part more? it's great that everyone is pointing at Yak not delivering elite offense, but i'd say there are a few more players on the team who fall way short of that requirement as well, and cost more

[rankingtear]

Lol. No team with poetl as their starting center is winning anything in the playoffs.

I don’t think they’re even making the playoffs, but you went even beyond that.

This is 2021, not 2001. Big stiffs with no skills have no place being a starter in this league

Well the winning formula so far for centers is rim protection at a bargain price. A 30+ Javale McGee and Marc Gasol are the stiff starting centers winning ships recently. You can afford the flexibility of not playing your starting center in certain lineups when he is making mid level money. That means your capspace is allocated in your guards/wings, which have less counters.

[KobesAchilles]

so are we missing the Shaq part or the Kobe part more? it's great that everyone is pointing at Yak not delivering elite offense, but i'd say there are a few more players on the team who fall way short of that requirement as well, and cost more

We are a superstar away from contention. Which sounds easy to say but it’s the truth. Some teams aren’t even at that level. Like Dallas. They have Luka and still can’t contend.

But as far as starters go, Derrick White is starting to concern me. Dude is shooting though and trying to get out of his funk. But his defense yesterday was amazing considering he was guarding a guy 4 inches taller and 50 pounds heavier. And bc of the roster construction, everybody is playing out of position. So it’s hard to get after basically a first year player in Keldon when he is playing out of position.

[slick'81]

Without lma our frontcourt weakness in glaring

[itzsoweezee]

Well the winning formula so far for centers is rim protection at a bargain price. A 30+ Javale McGee and Marc Gasol are the stiff starting centers winning ships recently. You can afford the flexibility of not playing your starting center in certain lineups when he is making mid level money. That means your capspace is allocated in your guards/wings, which have less counters.

McGee was a starting center in label only. I can’t believe I have to say this, but if the Spurs acquire lebron and Anthony Davis, then sure, go ahead and start poetl and let him play the 15 minutes of the game where Davis isn’t playing center.

And gasol is no stiff. Gtfoh comparing poetl to an all-nba talent. You people are delusional

[cd98]

Lol. No team with poetl as their starting center is winning anything in the playoffs.

I don’t think they’re even making the playoffs, but you went even beyond that.

This is 2021, not 2001. Big stiffs with no skills have no place being a starter in this league

He's got a lot of skills, just not individual scoring. But most centers in the NBA don't. How many points were the centers for the Heat and the Lakers scoring last year? It's nice to have a stretch 5, but if you are a switching defense, like the Spurs are, you need to have a mobile big that can protect the rim and switch on shooters. He can do that and that is a valuable skill for a starting center and one that would get him paid a lot this summer if he were a free agent.

[cd98]

Except Shaq averaged 30 and 15 and Jak gives you a fifth of that so that’s a stupid point. Might as well bring up Wilt’s free throw shooting too while you’re at it. Plus it’s a different era that caters to offense way more than 2001 ever did. Also they had Kobe effing Bryant who averaged 28 6 and elite defense during that run. We have none of those

You are missing my point. You aren't hurting by a bad free throw shooter when he rarely touches the ball on offense except to catch dump off passes or pass from the high post. Those guys don't shoot a lot of free throws so a low free throw percentage doesn't kill your value. And my point is not comparing the centers from a skill sense, it's saying that Shaq was a big man that touched the ball constantly and had the ball in the post constantly and he won three championships despite the fact that he was a horrible free throw shooter. So if a team can win a le with a high volume scorer that is a terrible free throw shooter, then a low volume center that can't shoot free throws, but plays great defense is not a bar from making and winning in the playoffs.

Remember that now days, you can't foul someone that doesn't have the ball in a close game or it's a technical. So you can't intentionally foul him unless he is holding the ball, which is very rare in the Spurs offense. My point is his free throw shooting doesn't mean he can't be a starting center on a playoff team. I think he could.

[cd98]

McGee was a starting center in label only. I can’t believe I have to say this, but if the Spurs acquire lebron and Anthony Davis, then sure, go ahead and start poetl and let him play the 15 minutes of the game where Davis isn’t playing center.

And gasol is no stiff. Gtfoh comparing poetl to an all-nba talent. You people are delusional

Prime Gasol was not a stiff. Last year's Gasol, at the end of his career, is a stiff. The Lakers would love to get Jakob and he would immediately start for them and play along side Davis and they would be the best defensive team in the NBA.

[rankingtear]

McGee was a starting center in label only. I can’t believe I have to say this, but if the Spurs acquire lebron and Anthony Davis, then sure, go ahead and start poetl and let him play the 15 minutes of the game where Davis isn’t playing center.

And gasol is no stiff. Gtfoh comparing poetl to an all-nba talent. You people are delusional

Zaza Pachulia , Chris Andersen, Andrew Bogut , Tyson Chandler, Tiago Splitter. The point is Poeltl can start in a championship team in the modern nba your talent should be on your guards and wings. All starting centers for championship team for the past decade average points per game is 10 or below. Minutes are in the low 20 range. Your arguing he can't start for a playoff team but players not much better than him have started for championship teams.

[itzsoweezee]

Prime Gasol was not a stiff. Last year's Gasol, at the end of his career, is a stiff. The Lakers would love to get Jakob and he would immediately start for them and play along side Davis and they would be the best defensive team in the NBA.

That’s my point. When you have a starting lineup with two superstars, you can get by with a skillless stiff as your starting center. The Spurs are years away (absent mismanagement) from being in that position.

[itzsoweezee]

Zaza Pachulia , Chris Andersen, Andrew Bogut , Tyson Chandler, Tiago Splitter. The point is Poeltl can start in a championship team in the modern nba your talent should be on your guards and wings. All starting centers for championship team for the past decade average points per game is 10 or below. Minutes are in the low 20 range. Your arguing he can't start for a playoff team but players not much better than him have started for championship teams.

On teams with superstars. On a team stacked with role players? no

[Dejounte]

That’s my point. When you have a starting lineup with two superstars, you can get by with a skillless stiff as your starting center. The Spurs are years away (absent mismanagement) from being in that position.

On teams with superstars. On a team stacked with role players? no

So your problem is not with Poeltl but the fact that the Spurs don't have superstars at other positions because if we did have superstars, he would be fine. So why not argue for better players at the other positions, instead of focusing on one player who's as "minimally impactful on winning" as the other guys? And *if* Poeltl was just as good as the other guys in the SL, how far would that hypothetical team go given that no one from 1-5 is a superstar? This circular reasoning is fun.

[pad300]

Ok, this Shaq argument is assinine. Shaq was absolutely a dominant offensive player (Shaq O >> Poetl D), and quite good defensively (even when you got him out covering a wing on a switch, his feet weren't terrible; in the post he was force ... Shaq D >> Poetl O).

Wrt to the "How many points were the centers for the Heat and the Lakers scoring last year?", that's Davis and Bam. In the finals, Davis was 25.0 pts/game and Bam was 15.3. On the season, Davis 26.1 ppg and Bam was 15.9 ppg. Both of them were major figures in the offense. People don't seem to realize it, but the teams that win out still tend to have very good bigs (at both ends of the floor). Just like it has always been, you need all the parts to win.

[cd98]

That’s my point. When you have a starting lineup with two superstars, you can get by with a skillless stiff as your starting center. The Spurs are years away (absent mismanagement) from being in that position.

I agree on the superstars, but that's to compete for a le. You need superstars regardless for that. You think he's skill-less and you are en led to your opinion. Maybe he's "skill-less" compared to the great centers of the 90s or Tim Duncan. But for today's NBA, he has what I consider to be very valuable skills. From what I see in the NBA, anyone that can block or alter shots in the paint and switch on defenders and guard on the perimeter and guard the pick and roll are incredibly valuable, even if their scoring is limited. And even though he doesn't have a post-up game and sometimes is a little to weak in the paint, he is a top level passer out of the high post, which is a valuable skill and he is great at setting screens and playing a roller. Yes, if he had superstars, he'd probably score more, but that's not his fault. For a big, he does everything a team needs. He'd start on most NBA teams right now. But yes, the rest of our positions are not nearly as adequate as he is at center. We don't have a true point guard and our offense relies entirely on DDR either scoring or creating shots. Other guys around Jakob need to play better if the Spurs want to make the playoffs.