Toronto Raptors: Top five small forwards in franchise history

Morris Peterson

The number one small forward in the history of the Toronto Raptors is Mo-Pete. That is chilling to hear.

No offense to Mo-Pete, who provided Toronto seven years of great effort and solid play, but when listing the best player in your franchise’s history at a position, you are hoping for someone who was an all-start at one point in his career.

But you work with what you are given, and Toronto has not been given much at the small forward position over the years.

Peterson was drafted by the Raptors with the 21st pick of the 2000 NBA draft and made an immediate impact. Peterson averaged 9.3 points per game in his first season in the league and was named to the 2000-2001 NBA All-Rookie Team.

Peterson improved his sophomore year, increasing his average to 14 points per game while becoming more efficient in the process.

Unfortunately, Peterson largely plateaued after that.  He remained a solid player, providing Toronto with defense and three-point shooting over the course of his seven-year Raptor career. However, he never developed into anything more than that.

A 6’7″ forward who can switch 2-4 and shoot nearly 40-percent from beyond the arc,  it’s easy to imagine Mo-Pete in today’s game. He was the quintessential three-and-D guy, before there were three-and-D guys.

Even in an era that didn’t optimize his skill-set, Mo-Pete was a steady presence that gave Toronto fans a sliver of hope through some dark years. Which is enough, for now, to rank him as Toronto’s best small forward of all-time.