Raptors center Jakob Poeltl sees last month’s trade for Brandon Ingram as proof that the organization expects to be competitive next season, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. Although Ingram hasn’t played since suffering a sprained ankle November 22 while he was still with New Orleans, he has started working out before games. Even if he has to wait until next season to see Ingram in action, Poeltl is excited about the core group that has been put together.
“(The trade) just kind of followed up on what they’ve been talking about, well, really, for the past year, year and a half, which is like, ‘No, we don’t want to tank and go through the draft.’ They wanted to get back to winning quickly. Obviously,” he said. “Yes, you got to try and build up a new team. You got to build on some young guys, and you got to go through some more difficult times, but they’ve always communicated that they want to be aggressive, making moves like that. And so, yeah, I think it’s really good, and it’s good for us as a team.”
The Raptors are also being careful with Poeltl, who is operating under a minutes restriction due to a hip injury he suffered last month and frequently doesn’t play beyond the third quarter. He would prefer to be challenging for a playoff spot, but he understands why the team has dedicated the final few weeks of the season to developing its young talent.
“Obviously, you want to win games, like there’s no way around it,” he said. “I want to win games now, and sometimes it’s frustrating to lose games when you’re in that learning process. But I think, like you said, I’m one of those guys. I can see the big picture. I can understand the process, and bought into it, so I know what to expect, and then I’m OK with that.”
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Knicks saw Tuesday’s game slip away when Golden State started double-teaming Jalen Brunson in the fourth quarter and taking the ball out of his hands, observes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. That strategy led to five straight empty possessions, which allowed the Warriors to pull away. Brunson called it “something we can learn from,” but the Knicks still haven’t shown their offense can be effective without Karl-Anthony Towns, who missed the game due to personal reasons. Towns is expected back on Thursday when New York starts a five-game West Coast swing, sources tell Bondy (Twitter link).
- Knicks center Mitchell Robinson is only averaging 13.7 minutes in three games since returning from ankle surgery, but his playing time is expected to increase on the road trip, Bondy adds. Bondy also questions coach Tom Thibodeau’s decision to remove Precious Achiuwa from the rotation now that Robinson is playing again.
- Keith Smith of Spotrac examines the Sixers‘ options with Joel Embiid, concluding that there’s no easy way to cut ties with the injured center if he’s unable to regain his All-NBA form. Embiid has four years and a projected $248MM left on his contract after this season, leading to him, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey taking up nearly the team’s entire salary cap over the next three years. Unless Philadelphia can find someone willing to trade for Embiid’s hefty contract, the only options are a waive-and-stretch procedure, which wouldn’t be possible until after the 2026/27 season, or a medical retirement, which would have to be approved by the Fitness to Play panel or by a doctor jointly selected by the NBA and the players union.