It looks like Jakob Poeltl will soon be back.
As he continues to recover from an ankle sprain he sustained earlier this month, the Toronto Raptors centre looked to be moving well during Wednesday afternoon’s post-practice shooting. The 7-foot Austrian will probably return soon, though Toronto has not yet made an official announcement about his injury status for Friday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers.
“Today, he engaged in halfcourt activities with the team, beginning to run and jump,” stated Raptors head coach Darko Rajaković. He accomplished more today. We’re still going to take things day by day with him because he hasn’t been cleared for full contact yet.
Poeltl will quickly return to the starting lineup after his return, but there will be a little ramp-up phase before he returns to his typical playing schedule. His conditioning and rhythm may take a little more time to get back up to game speed, Rajaković conceded.
Poeltl must return shortly to Toronto. Since losing Poeltl, the Raptors’ defence has been the sixth worst in the NBA, and for the past eight games, Toronto’s rebounding percentage has been the lowest in the whole league.
When Poeltl does make a comeback, Jontay Porter is likely to remain in Toronto. Porter is just signed to a two-way contract, but the Raptors still view him as a potential backup centre. In comparison to Poeltl, he is more versatile and can give Toronto a slightly different appearance on both ends of the court.
“I enjoy his style of play. Regarding Porter, Rajaković stated, “I think he’s a young player with potential, and definitely we want to give him a chance.” We’re going to give him a close examination so we know what he needs to accomplish since we’re learning a lot about the team and creating a new team over here.
For the game on Friday, Toronto will make an official injury report available on Thursday.
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