Masai Ujiri is facing poor Raptors draft history

The Toronto Raptors have a horrible draft history. This is a sad fact but also a key reason for why the franchise has never made it past the second-round of the playoffs. Luckily for fans, the team probably has its best GM ever in Masai Ujiri, and it is never too late to turn draft luck around.

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Evan Rosser of Sportsnet recently wrote a profile on each non-lottery first-round pick in the Raptors’ 20-year history. The results were beyond grim for a team that has landed in the lottery more times that not. In fact, the Raptors have only ever drafted two decent NBA players between picks 16-30.

In 2000, Mo Pete was taken with the 21st pick. He develloped into a fan favourite and stuck with the Raps for an unprecedented seven years. Peterson was a solid contributor and a consumate hard worker on the court. He also offered a level of durability that is rare in the NBA. Peterson averaged 77 games a season in Toronto. Basically, he was an ideal 21st pick.

The other decent pick is a sadder story. The Raptors selected Roy Hibbert with the 17th pick in 2008, but traded him the night of the draft. Hibbert developed into a Defensive Player of the Year candidate, though never in Toronto. So, even if front office executives did see the potential in him, he was not valued enough to protect from other teams.

Clearly, there has been a lot of bad news. But, Ujiri has the chance to turn the tides this year and start a positive trend. He has already shown his worth to the fan base, turning the team from lottery bound to playoff bound in a couple of years. The one thing he has yet to do in Toronto is make a great draft selection. The jury is still out on Bruno Caboclo.

Ujiri has shown real potential in the past as an apt draft predictor. He selected Kenneth Faried with the 22nd pick in 2011 and Evan Fournier with the 20th pick in 2012. Both players have panned out extremely well considering when they were picked.

What the Raptors need is a player like Faried who will show the ability to play high quality minutes right away. The team doesn’t really have time for another long-term project, especially considering this season’s disappointment.

There are still a lot of questions about what Ujiri will do come draft night. Will he go with a power forward or a wing? Will he go for upside or polish? Will he go off the board again? Whatever happens, this draft represents an important moment in his career. A good pick could further propel Ujiri into the conversation for the title of the NBA’s best GM.

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