Toronto Raptors: 30 greatest players of all-time

11. Morris Peterson

Like Christie, Mo Pete was a vital piece of the puzzle for numerous years, even when the Raptors were bad. Boy, were they bad.

Peterson was drafted twenty-first overall in the 2000 NBA Draft, his seven seasons in Toronto provided some memorable moments, including his incredible game-tying shot against the Wizards to send the game into overtime. I don’t really know how to describe the shot but here goes.

Michael Ruffin has butter fingers and his attempt to send the ball up into the stratosphere and out of harm’s way ended up with the ball traveling ten feet into the air, landing in the welcoming hands of Mo Pete. Peterson then heaves up a three in mid-air as time expires, the bucket goes in and the crowd erupts. Crazy.

Peterson became an elite defender during his time with Toronto, as well as a fan favorite. Seven seasons of nothing but dedication and clutch performances will do that for a player. His 371 consecutive games played was also an NBA-record at the time, he missed his first game in November 2006.

Availability is the best ability after all. Peterson is second in games played as a Toronto Raptor, ranking only behind DeMar DeRozan.

Peterson jumps out as a mainstay on most categories, he’s second in 3-point field goals made, as well as top ten in rebounds, assists, steals and sixth in VORP (Value Over Replacement Player). He began to fall out of favor once Anthony Parker signed for the Raptors, his contract ran down into 2007 and we never saw Morris Peterson as a Raptor again.