In two years at the University of Utah, Jakob Poeltl filled up the box score. And despite his San Antonio Spurs getting trounced by the Utah Jazz 139-105 on Tuesday, it almost seemed as though he had never left the state.
Poeltl made his first trip to the Beehive State since joining the Spurs and set a career high with 20 points. He also added seven rebounds, an assist and a block. He played 20 minutes and missed only two shots in 11 attempts.
But with the blowout, Poeltl wasn’t feeling particularly sunny about his career night.
“If I get a career high in a 30-point loss or whatever it was,” Poeltl said, “it doesn’t feel great.”
Poeltl outplayed his season averages. In the 19 games he played prior to Tuesday, he had averaged 4.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 0.9 assists while shooting 61.7 percent from the field.
Poeltl spent two years with the Utes before being selected by the Toronto Raptors ninth overall in the 2016 NBA draft. He was traded to the Spurs in the deal that sent Kawhi Leonard to the Raptors in exchange for DeMar DeRozan.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said before the game that he was glad when he learned Poeltl was included in the trade because he still has room to improve.
“He’s a role player who understands what he can do and what he can’t do,” Popovich said. “He knows that his minutes will be based on running the court, rebounding and trying to play defense and that sort of thing. We’re not going to look to him to score a whole bunch, but he already knows that. He’s very willing to fulfill a role.”
Poeltl said one of the positives of the trade is how much he can learn from Popovich and some of the veterans on the team such as Pau Gasol, LaMarcus Aldridge and Patty Mills.
Poeltl checked in to the game for the first time with 2:29 remaining in the first quarter. He scored his first points 30 seconds later, and was 6 for 6 from the field before missing his first shot.
Poeltl said he spent time with friends from college, went to the Park Cafe and ordered his usual.
