Jakob Poeltl made his way from Austria to San Antonio via Canada. He was the ninth overall draft pick in 2016 by the Toronto Raptors. He spent two seasons with the NBA’s northernmost team until being bundled with DeMar DeRozan and the draft pick that became Keldon Johnson in a trade that brought the trio to the San Antonio Spurs.
Poeltl has become the Spurs starting big man making an impact defensively and receiving accolade for his blocked shots in the paint, garnering him the nickname “Blokab Poeltl.”
Poeltl, along with the aforementioned Johnson, Dejounte Murray, Derrick White, and Lonnie Walker IV have become the nucleus of the Spurs youth movement.