Raptors’ Jakob Poeltl to miss at least another week with ongoing back injury

There is plenty to celebrate in The 6 this season. Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes are forming a mighty impactful duo, young players like Colin Murray-Boyles and Jamal Shead are providing valuable contributions off the bench and the team is only a game out of third place in the Eastern Conference. Following a rough couple of years, the Toronto Raptors (19-14) are coming into their own. Everything is not all rosy, though. Jakob Poeltl remains out with a back injury.

The veteran center will miss at least another week of action, per ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel. He will be reevaluated at that point, leaving the squad and fan base in limbo for now. Poeltl has already lost time because of this issue and has not played since Dec. 21.

The Raptors started a five-game homestand with an overtime victory versus the Golden State Warriors on Sunday, and they will now have to wait until sometime in 2026 before reuniting with the Austrian big man. Poeltl is averaging 9.7 points on 69.3 percent shooting (all two-pointers) with 7.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists per contest this season.

Neither the production nor the availability are what fans want from someone who signed a four-year, $104 million contract extension last summer. Nevertheless, he is valuable to Toronto. Poeltl offers the team a solid interior presence that is otherwise lacking in the frontcourt. The Raptors will exercise caution, however, for they know the damage that can be done by rushing him back.

Hopefully, Jakob Poeltl makes tremendous progress in his next week of recovery and gets some good news in January. Sandro Mamukelashvili is trying to hold down the fort in his absence. Toronto faces the Orlando Magic (18-14) on Monday, beginning at approximately 7:30 p.m. ET.

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