NBA Draft 2016: 5 players Toronto Raptors need to target

Jakob Poeltl displayed tremendous growth in his sophomore year to become one of the best two-way players in college basketball. He was on the Naismith Player of the Year ballot until they had the final cut down to four.

His biggest contributions to the game involve his work in the post, and his ability as a rim protector, which are two valuable assets for the Raptors. He doesn’t like to shoot three-pointers – in fact, he didn’t attempt a single three all season long – but that’s not what’s expected in his role. He’s not a media darling, but his work ethic can hardly be questioned. And for a team that likes to fly under the radar, that’s exactly what the Raptors like to hear.

Poeltl’s decision to stay in school for another year really paid off. What was perhaps the most impressive aspect of his sophomore campaign was how his numbers stacked up to last year’s NBA Draft darlings Karl-Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor in their two lone college seasons. Poeltl’s points per game (23.7), offensive rating (132.9), and field goal percentage (66.7) were all higher than Towns and Okafor, while he averaged more rebounds than Okafor with 12.1.

There’s no denying what he can bring to the center position, and he already looks like he’s more NBA-ready than Bebe Nogueira. Perhaps the best part about Poeltl is that he slots in right at number nine on Draft Express’ big board.

Next: 3. Domantas Sabonis