Top 50 Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors arrived in the National Basketball Association with Vancouver Grizzlies in 1995 as part of the league’s first foray into international expansion. The Grizzlies would not last in Vancouver, moving to Memphis shortly after it came into the league, but the city of Toronto embraced basketball and would sell out regularly upon the arrival of Vince Carter, arguably the most exciting player to watch at the time.Carter could not take them deep into the playoffs, and neither could Chris Bosh, who would become their star player after. The duo of DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry would however take them to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2015, but the former was traded for Kawhi Leonard, who only stayed one year, but led them to the 2019 NBA Championship.
This list is up to the end of the 2020/21 season.
Note: Basketball lists are based on an amalgamation of tenure, traditional statistics, advanced statistics, playoff statistics, and post-season accolades.
Kyle Lowry had a reputation of being a malcontent when he arrived in Toronto. It is safe to say that isn’t the case any more.
Vince Carter was the player who put the Toronto Raptors on the map, but Chris Bosh is the one we are going with as the franchise’s greatest player.
Vince Carter brought the Toronto Raptors the International attention of the basketball world. “Vinsanity” went global, and he was a must watch player that made people fans of Toronto.
DeMar DeRozan took over as the all-time leading scorer for the Toronto Raptors this past year and he has become the go to player for the “We The North” franchise”. The four-time All-Star has watched his game statistically and efficiently improve his game year after year and the only reason he does not have a higher rank is because of his early seasons where his overall game was far from complete.
We know what a lot of you are thinking.How can Jose Calderon be ranked this high?
From the basketball-rich nation of Lithuania, Jonas Valanciunas has emerged as one of the better big men in the NBA. Taken fifth in 2011, Valincuinas joined Toronto the following season, quickly becoming a starter. After an average rookie season, the Center would begin to average double-digits in Points per Game, and also well over eight boards. A good blocker, Valincuinas was unafraid to dig in and use his size, and his shooting skills were more…
Pascal Siakam was a late starter in basketball, as the Cameroonian did not play until his early teens. He was a natural and moved to the U.S. at age sixteen to develop his skills, which would land him at New Mexico State. Siakam won the WAC Player of the Year, but he was not expected to do that much as a pro. The Raptors took him late (27th) in the 2016 Draft, and the project that was Pascal…
A very physical Power Forward, Amir Johnson was as efficient as he was powerful. Johnson would lead the NBA in Personal Fouls in 2012-13 but would also make appearances in the top ten in Field Goal Percentage, True Shooting Percentage and Effective Field Goal Percentage. He would also have a second place finish (2010-11) in Offensive Rating.
One of the most popular players in Raptors history, Morris Peterson came from the NCAA Champion, the Michigan State Spartans as the 21st Overall Pick in 2000. “MoPete” would have four seasons with Toronto where he exceeded more than 10 Points per Game, the best of which was in 2005-06 where he posted career highs of 16.8 Points, 4.6 Rebounds and 1.3 Steals per Game.
Although he was a part of some good Sacramento Kings teams, Doug Christie’ had a pretty good run were with the Toronto Raptors. Christie would have three top five finishes in Steals per Game and never had less than 10 Points per Game per season as a Raptor. Christie would later have appearances on the All Defensive Team, he was certainly in the conversation for such an accolade as a Raptor.
Including playoffs, only 84 Games. That is all that Kawhi Leonard played for the Toronto Raptors, and if you want to place him at number one and build a 50-foot statue outside the Air Canada Center, we get it. After all, the Raptors don't win the 2019 NBA Championship without him. Raptors General Manager Masai Ujiri rolled the dice in what has to be considered one of the biggest gambles in sports transactions. He traded his top…
After four years at Wichita State (including a "shocking" trip to the Final Four," Fred Van Vleet signed as an undrafted Free Agent with the Toronto Raptors in 2016. Usually, undrafted American players don't make the NBA, but someone forgot to tell Fred Van Vleet. Van Vleet, who was a two-time MVC Player of the Year, would turn out to be a steal. The Point Guard appeared in 37 Games as a rookie and 76 in his…
One of the most tenured Guards in Toronto Raptors history, Alvin Williams had a near eight year run with Toronto. Alvin would have two seasons where he had over 10 Points per Game and three where he eclipsed 5 Assists per Game. Alvin Williams may not have been the most productive Raptor of all time, but he is one of the few who played over 400 Games for Toronto.
Every franchise has a first main attraction and for the Toronto Raptors that player was “Mighty Mouse” Damon Stoudamire. In the Point Guard’s two and a half seasons in Toronto he would average 19.6 Points and 8.8 Assists per Gamer, which would be far the best numbers of his career. For his efforts in his debut season in the National Basketball Association, Stoudamire was awarded the Rookie of the Year, the first individual trophy in…
The move from Indiana to Toronto proved to be a fruitful one for Antonio Davis as he would move from bench player to starter. He would become one of the team’s leaders and in the 2000-01 season would have career highs in Points (14.1), Rebounds (10.4) and Blocks (2.0) per Game. That year Antonio Davis would make his first and only All Star Game. He would also finish in the top ten in Offensive Rebounds…
Brought in for his strong veteran presence, Power Forward, Donyell Marshall would string together productive offense as a Raptor. Marshall, who was traded early in the 2003-04 season from the Chicago Bulls would finish the Toronto portion of the season with a 16.2 Points, 10.7 Rebounds and 1.6 Blocks per Game, a stretch that was the best of his career. Marshall was used off of the bench the following season (his second and last with…
Bet most of you did not remember that Tracy McGrady was a Raptor. McGrady joined the Raptors as a teenager, and did not become a starter until halfway through his third season. Despite the limited minutes he had in Toronto, he would show incredible efficiency with two seasons over 20 in PER. In his third season, he averaged over 15 Points per Game and was clearly a star on the rise, and it was largely…
Andrea Bargnani was not a success as a number one pick. We all know that right? However, let’s look at the positive first:
Norman Powell was taken by Milwaukee (who traded him to Toronto) in the 2nd Round in 2015 after a good college career at UCLA. Powell would earn decent playing time early in his career, mostly playing off of the bench, but was efficient in that role, which was his first four seasons. "Stormin" Norman was clearly due for more playing time, and he was a nice cog in the puzzle that won the 2019 NBA…
Patrick Patterson was a Toronto Raptor for four seasons providing a solid presence. Patterson was a good role player off of the bench and while he did not had a 10 Point per Game season with Toronto, the former Kentucky Wildcat finished 7th in 2014-15 in Offensive Rating.