Raptors Top Ten Draft Selections of all time
By Brian Boake
TRACY McGRADY – small forward, Mt. Zion Christian Academy [high school]
Selected by: Isiah Thomas, #9, 1997
Let the “What if’s” ensue. Tracy McGrady’s tenure is one of wonder more than anything else. While he wasn’t anywhere close to the prolific scorer that he became in Orlando and Houston, he never really got the chance to be in Toronto under head coaches Darrell Walker, then Butch Carter.
T-Mac would average 7, 9.3 and 15.4 points per game in each of his 3 seasons in Toronto, including 16.7 points in his (and only) post season trip with the team, so it stands to reason that McGrady would have only gotten better (which he did) over time. He would have been Pippen to Vince Carter’s Jordan, however T-Mac wanted to be the main guy. So he left.
Kobe Bryant said it best that had McGrady stayed in Toronto with Vince, the Raptors may have been perennial contenders in the Eastern Conference. Sadly, much to the disappointment of Raptors fans, along with admissions from McGrady and Carter themselves, we will never know.
- by Matthew Allman
Next: #2. Straight outta Compton to Canada