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Las Vegas • Jakob Poeltl's NBA career began with a whistle for a defensive three-second violation.

The following 10 minutes in a summer league uniform for the Toronto Raptors represented similar mayhem. He was winded. The game around him was almost unrecognizable, the pace was so fast, nothing like his experience as a college basketball player.

Poeltl was hyped, he wanted so badly to make a good first impression. By the end of the first quarter against the Sacramento Kings, he was practically exhausted.

"I knew at some point, I had to figure out a way to calm down," Poeltl said.

His rookie season as a whole could end up being an extension of those first 10 minutes. The Raptors didn't select the All-American from Utah with a lottery pick in June's NBA draft to use him as window dressing. The organization needs him to play, and needs him to be ready, a practical rarity for a team that won 56 games in the 2015-2016 season and advanced all the way to the Eastern Conference finals.

Here's the reality for the Raptors. The team that gave the eventual champion Cleveland Cavaliers all they could handle for six games loses a major frontcourt piece in Bismack Biyombo, who turned a sensational individual postseason into a lucrative free-agent contract from the Orlando Magic.

That means Poeltl has to step in and be ready to contribute instantly. As of now, Toronto's rotation up front features center Jonas Valanciunas and Patrick Patterson at power forward. The window for Poeltl to step in and become the Raptors' third big man is wide open. For a rookie, that's an opportunity that doesn't come as often on a winning team. For comparison, point guard Delon Wright — the two were teammates at Utah — is stuck behind a deep and talented perimeter rotation, despite appearing fully capable of handling minutes at the NBA level.

"I know what's expected of me, and I know I have to ready myself," Poeltl said. "This is the NBA. It's a lot more physical, it's a lot more fast-paced. I'm not going to have a second to rest. I always have to fight, be scrappy and go after every ball. That's what I have to accomplish in order to make an impact at this level."

In Friday's debut against the Kings, Poeltl calmed down and played significantly better in the final three quarters. He finished with six points, nine rebounds, three blocked shots and two steals, fine numbers for someone opening a pro career. He shut down the paint defensively, found a way to make noise in the offensive rebounding department, and shot 3-for-3 from the field.

Much like he did at Utah, Poeltl didn't force himself on the game. And in many ways, that's one of his finest assets. He let the action come to him, figured out what his strengths were on that particular night, and played to them. He was one of the main reasons the Raptors blew the Kings out, winning 88-47 in a game that truthfully wasn't that close.

Poeltl accomplished all of this in 21 minutes of action. Most impressive, he finished with a game-high plus-39, representing how much his team outscored Sacramento when he was on the floor.

"I thought he rebounded the ball really well and he was very active," Wright said. "It was definitely a good, nice first game for him. That's what we're going to need from him."

The type of game Poeltl played against the Kings is what the Raptors are going to need from him over the long term. Biyombo was so successful because he offered rim protection, he became an elite rebounder and he cleaned up messes with dives and finishes at the basket.

Toronto is counting on Poeltl to do some of the same things. At the same stage, the 7-foot-1 center is more skilled than Biyombo, although not quite as strong or athletic. But Poeltl showed in game one that he has potential to step into the rotation for the Raptors almost instantly.

And if Toronto is going to figure out a way to stay near the top of the east, Poeltl is going to have to factor into the equation, even if his role is 15-20 minutes a night off the bench. Poeltl knows it will all be a blur. But he also knows he has the ability to settle down and find a second wind.

"He has great hands, that's the first thing you notice about his game," said fellow Raptors first-round pick Pascal Siakam, a power forward from New Mexico State. "He's a talented guy. He plays hard and rebounds. He can finish around the rim. I'm excited for his future and what we can do together as teammates."

tjones@sltrib.com twitter: @tjonessltrib —

Jakob Poeltl file

• Poeltl was the No. 9 pick of June's NBA draft. He was one of two first-round Raptor picks, and currently projects as the third big man in Toronto's rotation.

• Poeltl grabbed nine rebounds and blocked three shots in his professional debut against the Sacramento Kings.

• Poeltl was an All-American at the University of Utah and one of the best big men in the country. He led the Utes to a Sweet 16 appearance in his first season, and back to the NCAA Tournament as a sophomore.