Jakob Poeltl will start at center in Saturday's game against the Washington Wizards, according to reports. The veteran center recently returned from a 24-game absence due to a back strain and showed strong performance in his last outing. He logged 28 minutes in Wednesday's loss to the Spurs, recording 15 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks.
Jakob Poeltl is preparing to anchor the frontcourt for the Toronto Raptors in their upcoming matchup. Reports indicate that Poeltl will start Saturday's game against the Washington Wizards, as noted by Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca.
This comes after Poeltl's recent return from injury. He missed 24 games due to a back strain that required specialized treatment in January. In his most recent appearance, during Wednesday's loss to the San Antonio Spurs, Poeltl played 28 minutes—his highest workload since coming back. He contributed 15 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks in that contest, demonstrating no lingering effects from the injury.
Poeltl's performance suggests he is ready to resume a full role in the Raptors' rotation. The team will look to him to provide stability in the paint against the Wizards.