The ultimate Toronto Raptors fan favourite bracket: Round of 16

OG Bracket continued

(6) Reggie Evans vs (3) Jamario Moon

3) Jamario Moon

At this point, G-League success stories are commonplace. Pascal Siakam, Norman Powell, Fred VanVleet, all spent time in the minors. The developmental league is certainly no longer the death coffin it once was.

But early on, it was a joke. Players were mocked for D-League appearances. So when the Toronto Raptors signed a player who was a SEVEN year D-League veteran, it certainly raised some eyebrows.

However, Jamario Moon didn’t just earn a roster spot; he earned a starting spot. And in his first start against the Chicago Bulls, he went off. The rookie veteran put up 12 points, six rebounds, three steals, and a block. Instantly, Raptor fans knew they stole a player.

Things didn’t go quite that well for Moon the rest of his career, but considering he was picked up based on a three-day minicamp, it’s hard to claim his career as anything but an unquestionable success.

6) Reggie Evans

Reggie Evans played 58 total games for the Raptors, played 1109 total minutes, and scored 227 total points (in comparison Kawhi Leonard had more points in a single series vs the Philadelphia 76ers).

Yet, Evans was loved like a player who filled the stat sheet.  Acquired in a deal for sharpshooter Jason Kapono, Evans didn’t have the skill level of his counterpart. What he did have was energy —  and lots of it.

Despite being just 6-foot-8, he engulfed rebounds like a shark scarfing down fish. He wasn’t the best player, but watching him attack the glass and play a highly frantic style of offense was still fun for all parties involved.

(7) Charles Oakley vs (2) Morris Peterson

2) Morris Peterson

The longest-tenured role player in Toronto Raptors history, Mo-Pete has a legitimate shot at winning this tournament. He played hard, did all the little things, and had a flair to his game. All of those areas helped contribute to making him an all-time fan favorite.

Peterson was the bridging of two eras. He played with the Vince Carter playoff teams, he played on the dark years after that, and he played with the Chris Bosh playoff teams. He was productive and important early in his career and continued to make an impact until the day he left.

Whether it was contributing to playoff contenders or hitting circus shots on 27-win teams, Peterson was doing whatever he could to make life more enjoyable for Raptors fans. Round one should be a relatively easy win because of that.

7) Charles Oakley

Rarely is a player able to be a fan favorite for two different franchises, but rarely do they make players like Charles Oakley. The bruising power forward was the definition of a grinder, and his hard-hat mentality earned him the fans’ respect.

Oakley played his age 35-37 seasons with Toronto. He was well past his prime, and to be frank, not that productive. A former All-Star with the New York Knicks, Oak just didn’t have it anymore by the time he came to Canada.

But you can’t blame a man for getting old, and Raptors fans loved Oakley despite his diminishing skillset. He played hard, played rough, and gave Toronto exactly what they expected when they signed him. Hard not to become a fan favorite when you do that.