The Toronto Raptors have heightened expectations this season after bringing back star wing Kawhi Leonard, the centerpiece of their 2019 championship team. Leonard is joining a more youthful Raptors roster compared to the veteran-laden one he played on. For current Raptors star Scottie Barnes, he’ll co-lead the team alongside Leonard, but there is one player on the roster whom he believes is indispensable, and that’s big Jakob Poeltl, as per Omer Osman of Raptors Coverage.

Jakob Poeltl is the lone true center on the Raptors roster, and for Scottie Barnes, the 11-year veteran big man could possibly be the most important player on the roster this season.

“You already know how I feel about Yak. Yak’s a beast, a monster, his float game is crazy, touch is crazy. I’m running in transition and I always look at him. He be giving me some good assists,” Barnes said. “We love Yak.

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Poeltl was limited to only 46 games last season after dealing with a back injury, but he returned in time for the playoffs and is healthy coming into the 2026-27 season. He is coming off a season in which he averaged 10.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists with splits of 70 percent shooting from the field and 60.2 percent shooting from the free-throw line.

The No. 9 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, Poeltl was ironically a part of the trade to the San Antonio Spurs in 2018 in which the Raptors originally acquired Kawhi Leonard. Poeltl eventually found his way back to the team via the trade deadline in 2023.