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Toronto Raptors: Recent NBA Draft History of the 29th Overall Pick

By Thomas Waind

TORONTO, ON - APRIL 02: Cory Joseph #6 of the Toronto Raptors yells out instructions as he advances the ball up the court against the Philadelphia 76ers during NBA game action at Air Canada Centre on April 2, 2017 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - APRIL 02: Cory Joseph #6 of the Toronto Raptors yells out instructions as he advances the ball up the court against the Philadelphia 76ers during NBA game action at Air Canada Centre on April 2, 2017 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /
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Toronto Raptors
Toronto Raptors, Cory Joseph(Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) /

2011 Cory Joseph, PG, San Antonio Spurs

2019-20 – GP: 72 PPG: 6.4 RPG: 2.6  APG: 3.5 Shooting Splits: .415/.352/.857
Career (9 Seasons) – GP: 600 PPG: 6.9 RPG: 2.6 APG: 2.9 Shooting Splits: .441/.332/.769

The Canadian is the best player on this list and another draft and development product of San Antonio’s point guard factory. At one point thought to be the successor to Tony Parker, the Raptors signed Toronto native Cory Joseph away in the 2015 offseason.

While Joseph’s numbers don’t jump off of the page, he is an incredibly steady player who has been trusted with big minutes off of the bench. Playoff teams like the San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors, and the Indiana Pacers have had no qualms using Joseph in crunch time. While he was taken one pick ahead of future star Jimmy Butler in the 2011 draft, Joseph still offers very good value that late in the draft… Even if hindsight would dictate you have to take Jimmy every day of the week.

Takeaways

When you look back at every draft on Basketball-Reference you can always find some gems. But in real-time, once you get out of the lottery, drafts can feel like an absolute guessing game. This list, in particular, is full of solid players, certainly buoyed by the strength San Antonio’s scouting department, but also features just as many busts. Good front offices can find useful players in the late first round and in the second round. Great front offices can unearth lottery-level talents late.

Over his tenure with the Raptors, Masai Ujiri’s draft prowess has been unmatched. Masai has been great augmenting the core with high-floor picks like Jakob Poeltl, Delon Wright, and Norm Powell. He has also hit on some big swings on risky, high-ceiling talents like Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby (although Bruno “Brazilian Durant” Caboclo was definitely a miss).

From what I’ve learned in watching Masai draft, you can throw out your mock drafts. Every year the Toronto Raptors take a player that I don’t expect. But, by the time Summer League rolls around and we see the rookies take the court for the first time, the pick just makes sense. When it comes down to the 29th pick of the 2020 draft, Masai has earned my unwavering trust.

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