Spurs center Jakob Poeltl has entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols and is expected to miss several games, as relayed by Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Poeltl, 26, is 7-foot-0 and has started all seven games this season, compiling career-high averages of 13.9 points and 9.7 rebounds.
He becomes the latest NBA player to enter protocols this week, joining Cavs forward Kevin Love and Lauri Markkanen, 76ers forward Tobias Harris and Bucks forward Khris Middleton.
“NBA players testing positive have two avenues toward a return to play — waiting 10 days from testing positive or onset of symptoms, or passing consecutive negative PCR tests 24 hours apart,” wrote Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. “Finally, players who experienced symptoms must pass cardiac testing prior to a return.”
As for the Spurs specifically, while they have struggled a bit out of the gate, they continue to make 3-pointers from the corner — a staple of Gregg Popovich teams — at a high pace.
“The corner three not only spreads the floor for the Spurs but it’s historically been a big part of their success,” wrote Josh Paredes of Fansided. “After their loss to the Pacers, San Antonio leads the league in 3-point percentage from the corner, making 26 of 49 attempts for 53.1%. They buried five of their seven shots from there against Indiana.”
But losing Poeltl for even a short while is certain to make an impact and change the Spurs’ approach, at least to a small degree.
His absence could mean increase in minutes for veteran forward Thaddeus Young and rookie center Jock Landale.
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