Sean Woodley here, the host of the daily Locked On Raptors podcast, with your daily Locked On Raptors newsletter. Each day we bring you the biggest stories about the Raptors and the NBA, including the hottest links to other stories you need to read. Plus, Josh Lloyd delivers daily fantasy notes to crush your league.
The Definitive Take on the Raptors and trading Jakob Poeltl: Don’t do it.
Nov 18, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors center Jakob Poeltl (19) drives to the basket as Indiana Pacers forward Obi Toppin (1) tries to defend during the third quarter at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images|Nick Turchiaro/Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Within the cogs of the Transaction Industrial Complex, no stretch of good or bad play can go by without The Discourse™at largeposing the question: what does this mean for his trade value? It’s very Cool and Good, and not the slightest bit a symptom of the brain worm epidemic.
It’s especially intense when a guy is a small market star, is on an expiring deal, is a Laker or someone Lakers fans want to be a Laker, or, as in the case of Toronto’s Jakob Poeltl, is a starter on a bad team in the midst of the best week of his life.
I can read the tea leaves. I know how this fan base operates, and I’m well aware how wide draft pick obsession has spread. Poeltl’s name is gonna come up in trade noise of all pitches from now ‘til February, from legit reporting to amateur trade machining-turned-content. Tank-heads will champion it. And I’m here to implore those keen on flipping the Raptors’ starting center to stop and really think about that for a second.
What do you, the fan, want for this team? Do you, like the salary cap sheet suggests you should, think next year is go time for this core? Surely you don’t want another year counting lotto balls more closely than wins. And you definitely don’t wanna see the stagnation of the many early-twenty somethings at various stages of largely encouraging development arcs, right?
If you agree with all these things, then you, my friend, want Jakob Poeltl on this basketball team.
“But Sean! This team needs more picks!” my deluded online pals will say.
Do they? They’ve got five rookies fresh in the hopper, a handful of them already promising. A high pick in a supposedly thrilling draft class awaits them June, along with the Blazers second-rounder, which will be a good one. Beyond that, they have all their own picks in the cupboard, and the Pacers’ first in 2026. Have you watched the Pacers? That might be a pick. Count ‘em, nine prospects from just three draft cycles. Roster spots ain’t infinite. Draft picks have diminishing returns as a young roster gets younger by the year. Having adults who help lift up the youth, though? That’s a long-term investment worth making.
It would take one hell of a package to make up for the on-court value you’d be losing in a Poeltl trade. And that’s where this discussion probably ends. There aren’t a lot of teams out there with the combination of need and financial wiggle room to get a true bidding war going. Sure, all it takes is one team to feel desperate and frivolous, but even if a contender does get itchy, they won’t be sending you back a ready-made succession plan for Poeltl. That’s the deal-breaker.
If the spunky start to this season has taught us anything, it’s that the Raptors have got some dudes. Dudes who, if healthy and given a little time to marinate, could be ready to do real stuff, real soon. Shipping Poeltl out for hypotheticals now would be like slashing your own tire before a road trip.
Poeltl is this team’s baseline, the support beam that holds up the house. He’s also just a damn good fit. RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley make sweet pick and roll music with him, while he and Barnes tag-team rim protection better than most. Poeltl screens are gonna help make Gradey Dick a lot of money. Toronto should be thinking extension with their drink-stirrer way before thinking trade.
Maybe the perfect Poeltl offer does fall into the Raptors’ laps, a deal that bolsters their long-term position while bringing back a big ready to fill Jak’s shoes. It could happen. But in the reality of a cash-strapped, center-rich NBA, it’s a crazy longshot. And that’s fine, because Jakob Poeltl rules, and the Raptors are far better off with him than without.
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On today’s podcast, Locked On’s national newsletter editor Katie Heindl joined me to play a round of one of our favourite parlour games: What’s More Likely?! Three extreme either/or questions about the Raptors, all kinds of fun. Enjoy the show!
The streak had to end sometime. Even the 2015-2016 Warriors only (“only”) got to 24 wins to start their season. Ironically, they’d go on to lose the title to the Cavs that season.
That Cleveland lost to the Celtics, in TD Garden, without Isaac Okoro and with Darius Garland shooting 3-21 — well only the first half of that stings. If Garland made two more of those field goals the Cavs would’ve taken the game, and Okoro, out with an ankle sprain, will be back.
This game was a tester for the Cavs. Beyond a match against the defending champs and a potential Eastern Conference Finals preview, it was an opportunity to see how the team responded to pressure, unfavourable conditions and expectation. NBA basketball is about winning, we all know this refrain well, but that the Cavs scoring dried up in crucial stretches while the team also fell into bad habits of turning the ball over in momentum-leeching moments, and they still managed multiple runs to come back within two, speaks pretty well to this group’s ability to respond.
What makes the Celtics so good, and a bit like a dream-crushing machine, is their ability to capitalize on and invert what usually brings their opponents wins. In the Cavs case, it’s their speed. Not just pure speed without aim, but their ability to push the pace within their offensive possessions because not one player tends to move in isolation from anyone else. Their lightning quick passing, their flashing cuts and counter-cuts, it’s all predicated on ball movement capitalizing on intuitive communication. A sixth sense of understanding where their teammates are on the floor at any given moment.
Boston was able to jam that up. Not entirely upend it, but chase with pace of their own enough that Garland at times appeared to be the pursued and not the pursuer. Where Garland rushed an offensive possession, where he went in for a fastbreak ISO drive to wrest the pace of the game back into his team’s hands, he bungled it. He’d botch an easy layup and go careening past the baseline, having to expend more energy to get back down the floor in the transition already underway. And the more he botched it, the faster he went. The Celtics saw this and upped the pressure on him, taking advantage of forced turnovers by draining three after three and all but eliminating a huge component of what’s made the Cavs so formidable — their rebounding.
Katie Heindl is a credentialed NBA and WNBA writer, her bylines have appeared with The New York Times Magazine, SLAM, The Athletic, Yahoo Sports, Dime, Rolling Stone, among others. She writes the bestselling Substack, Basketball Feelings and is working on a book of the same name.
Home and Away
Watch Vince Carter discusses a viral social media meme that has taken the internet by storm, offering his humorous take on the situation. (Sports Illustrated)
Rumor The latest Raptors mailbag dives into future expectations and trade talk, sparking intriguing speculation about potential team changes. (Sports Illustrated)
Analysis How the Cavaliers’ offseason plan has turned them into the top team in the league so far this year. (ESPN)
Milestone Russell Westbrook becomes the first player in NBA history to record 200 triple-doubles. (CBS Sports)
Must Read The NBA’s three-point revolution has gotten extreme, begging the question: How many is too many?(The Washington Post)
Fantasy Cheat Sheet
Can Dalton Knecht Keep Up This Run?
Nov 19, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Dalton Knecht (4) react after scoring a three point basket against the Utah Jazz during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images|Gary A. Vasquez/Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Dalton Knecht has recently become a focal point in NBA fantasy discussions, thanks to his electrifying performances on the court. In a standout game, Knecht scored 37 points, including nine three-pointers, with an impressive 75% shooting accuracy. This remarkable display has fantasy managers buzzing, as Knecht’s shooting streak positions him as a valuable asset in leagues.
Knecht’s Shooting Streak: A Fantasy Goldmine
Over the past four games, Knecht has been on a tear, shooting 22 of 33 from beyond the arc, equating to a 67% success rate. Such efficiency is rare and highlights his potential as a sharpshooter. For fantasy managers, Knecht is a must-add player, especially given his current role in the Lakers’ starting lineup. However, while his shooting spree is impressive, it’s important to manage expectations, as maintaining such a high percentage is challenging over the long term.
Injury Updates and Their Impact on Fantasy Rosters
Knecht’s rise comes at a time when injuries are shaking up NBA rosters. Norman Powell’s hamstring injury, for instance, has left a gap in the Clippers’ lineup. With Powell likely sidelined for at least a week, players like Kris Dunn and Amir Coffey might see increased roles, offering potential value for fantasy managers seeking replacements.
Click the button below to get updates on Zach Edey’s ankle injury, and how Bradley Beal’s calf continues to cause problems for fantasy managers
Don’t let these episodes pass you by — stay locked in with the latest Locked On Raptors podcasts.
Thursday — Would you rather be the Raptors or Sixers for the next 5 years? w/ Trill Bro Dude Sean is joined by Trill Bro Dude from the You Know Ball podcast to talk about the Raptors and Sixers, both near the bottom of the Eastern Conference, but with very different outlooks both now and in the future.
Wednesday — What’s More Likely?! featuring Hot Take Heindl Sean is joined by Katie Heindl (Locked On Newsletters) to play a few rounds of our favourite parlour game: What’s More Likely?! We get into either-or questions about Jakob Poeltl’s future in Toronto, how the Raptors stack up with the Bucks and Sixers, and who will start more games to close the season between Ochai Agbaji and Gradey Dick. This episode also features the debut of Hot Take Heindl, the greatest take artist to ever live.
Tuesday — RJ Barrett plays closer vs. Pacers; Raptors snap 7-game losing stream Sean and Vivek Jacob (Raptors in 7, Sportsnet) talk about the Raptors’ 130-119 win over the Pacers, RJ Barrett’s masterful work on the ball and where it fits into the team when Scottie Barnes comes back, Jakob Poeltl’s heater and The Good, The Bad & The Hmm from Monday’s game.
