Raptors Top Ten Draft Selections of all time
By Brian Boake
ANDREA BARGNANI – Centre, Benetton Treviso, Italy
Selected by: Bryan Colangelo, #1, 2006
The Raptors won the draft lottery in 2006, the first and only time that’s occurred. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the year to have such luck, as the draft class was considered to be indifferent at best, or even bad. History has borne out the pre-draft lack of excitement, as only a few players have enjoyed successful careers. While I don’t enjoy adding Bargnani’s name to our Ten Best list, he did mature into a solid player for a few years.
Most experts had Bargnani or Texas sophomore LaMarcus Aldridge at the top of their charts. I suspect Colangelo to this day wishes he had gone the conventional route and taken Aldridge. He’s been a superb pro, as has Rudy Gay, Rajon Rondo and Kyle Lowry. Paul Millsap was the #47 pick. But the top ten selections also contained infamous busts like Adam Morrison, Tyrus Thomas, Patrick O’Bryant and Mouhamed Sene. Brandon Roy, the #6 pick, was Rookie of the Year, and a brilliant player until his knees failed him.
Colangelo was enamoured with the fast-paced and fluid Euro-League style of play, and thought he could bring some of their style to Toronto in the form of the deep-shooting giant, Bargnani. While we can applaud Colangelo’s best intentions, he either overlooked or forgot to check on the man’s personality. Andrea always seemed uncoachable to me, and his indifference to defensive play was evident early.
Bargs could always score. He never averaged below double figures in his Raptor career, topping out at 21.4 Points PG in 2010-11. Bargnani sits fourth in all-time Raptors scoring with 6,581 points, and first in the unofficial Most Disliked Player rankings.
After being named Raptors GM, Masai Ujiri wasted little time in moving Bargnani out of town. He was dealt to the New York Knicks in summer 2013, for this, that and the other, including a first-round draft pick in 2016. Bargnani disappointed New Yorkers for two seasons, and was picked up by the Brooklyn Nets, where he’s cashing cheques and making a desultory effort. He’s hit two 3-balls this season.
Next: #7. Another Euro? Why not?