Austria’s basketball export Jakob Pöltl is currently doing particularly well in his role as the great leader of an NBA team.
“Yes, it suits me. Above all, that I was able to grow into this role over time. I already had an important position in the team last season, this year it’s another step,” said the center of the San Antonio Spurs at the start of the immediate pre-season.
In his seventh NBA season, the 26-year-old from Vienna faces a complete restart with a very young and inexperienced team.
Spurs have undergone major changes
The Spurs’ official training camp has been running since Tuesday, and the Houston Rockets have their first preseason game on Monday night before they start against the Charlotte Hornets on October 20th. “We are very young, of course you notice in training that we are inexperienced and that we are not yet attuned. It’s still about implementing the basics of NBA basketball in our game,” said Pöltl.
Pöltl leads the way, especially since San Antonio has handed over what Pöltl calls Dejounte Murray to the Atlanta Hawks. “Of course it’s a pity about the former teammates, with whom we have built up a very good relationship both personally and on the field, but that’s the business. For us, it’s a challenge that we accept,” emphasized Pöltl.
The 2.16 m man with the Spurs will probably not fulfill his career goal of an NBA title in the near future. “We haven’t gotten to the point where we can work on the finer points of playing together as a team, we have to sharpen the basics for the young players first,” explained Pöltl. Nevertheless, he sees the talent in his young teammates, who play “cool basketball”, and the atmosphere is also excellent.
Trade rumors for Pöltl “a zero factor”
Most recently, Pöltl had been preparing for the season in Los Angeles with some ex-teammates for about three and a half weeks. It remains to be seen whether the center will stay with the Spurs for the whole season or whether there will be a trade to another team in the near future. In any case, the talk leaves Pöltl cold. “The rumors are a zero factor for me. Apart from the fact that I don’t hang around a lot on social media, these speculations stretch over my entire career anyway – sometimes more, sometimes less. At the end of the day, it’s speculation and it’s not something I can control, so I’m fine with blocking it out or ignoring it.”
Pöltl was transferred to Texas in 2018 after two years with the Toronto Raptors. Last season he managed to become a leading player. 13.5 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game were all career highs. Next summer, an even more lucrative contract beckons than the current one, which is worth an average of $8.75 million a year.
(APA)/Image: Imago