Nick Crain | 2/1/23

Even with NBA League Pass, it’s tough to watch every player across the league closely. The biggest names always rise to the top, but there’s quite a few athletes that are doing incredible things but not getting as much credit as they deserve. Leveraging ProFitX, we can quickly identify players that are flying under the radar or quietly having tremendous seasons. One of those players in the 2022-23 campaign is Jakob Poeltl, who is emerging as a highly impactful big in this league. What should you know about the San Antonio Spurs center as he continues to rise as an underrated player?

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Current Production Value

Poeltl is in the final season of his current contract, slated to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. With that in mind, the 27-year-old is likely too old for the Spurs’ rebuilding timeline which makes him a prime trade candidate at the deadline in two weeks. Luckily for San Antonio, he’s having a solid season and is worth much more than he’s currently being paid relative to his production. For teams looking for a quality starting center, he’ll be a hot commodity on the market.

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Key Attributes

The former No. 9 overall pick makes an impact on both ends of the floor. Outside of being a double-double machine, he’s also averaged at least one block per contest in four consecutive seasons. Furthermore, he’s on track to have his highest steal output of his career at the rate he’s going in the 2022-23 campaign. When looking at what Poeltl does on the court, it’s easy to see the improvement through time, which is why his next contract will be more lucrative than his current one.

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Important Roles

Doing most of his damage in the paint, Poeltl is still able to produce points when he needs to. He’s scored 20 or more points six times this season and has also notched a single 30-point game. On the defensive end, he’s a legitimate rim protector and is disruptive overall with his 7-foot-1 size.

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Offensive Hot Spots

Again, Poeltl almost exclusively scores in the paint. In fact, he’s only taken three shots from beyond the arc in his career, none of which have been this season. Almost 60% of his career shot attempts have come within three feet of the rim, and less than 20% have been more than 10 feet away. Even in the modern NBA with perimeter oriented bigs, Poeltl has found ways to be one of the better centers in the league with a more traditional style.