Jakob Poeltl’s basketball career crossed another border on Friday as the former Ute travelled to his new home in Toronto.
Meeting with the hometown media for the first time since being picked No. 9 overall on Thursday night, Poeltl said the things every NBA draft pick says about their new team — but his smile reflected a very genuine sense of relief.
"I’m happy to be here in Toronto," he said. "This process was fun, but I’m also kind of glad that it’s over."
Less than 24 hours after the Raptors made him their first overall pick, Poeltl fielded questions about his status as an Austrian pioneer, reuniting with former teammate Delon Wright and dropping 27 points on new teammate Jonas Valanciunas last summer in international play.