The Toronto Raptors have only been around for 25 years, yet they remain one of the best organizations in the league in terms of identifying, acquiring, and developing talent at the point guard position. Their 25-year history has frequently been led by some of the best floor generals in the game, including current Raptors like Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet.
The Raptors haven’t missed the postseason since 2012, and strong play from those two, adding to the tradition of strong leadership at the position, has been a major reason as to why they’ve become established contenders and champions.
Their success over the last few years, and during an up-and-down 2020 season, directly correlates with the success of Lowry and VanVleet as both of them look to push for an All-Star spot.
Ranking the five best at that position in the history of this franchise is quite the challenge, as this team has a storied history of quality play at that position.
These are the five best point guards in Toronto Raptors history
Honorable Mentions: T.J Ford, Cory Joseph, Delon Wright
No. 5: Damon Stoudamire
One of the strangest NBA careers of the modern era, Stoudamire only spent three years with the Raptors, but during that time carved out a place as the franchise’s very first star.
He was drafted by the Raptors 7th overall in the 1995 Draft. This was the team’s first year in the league, a year that saw our team win 21 games/Stoudamire didn’t want to come to Canada in the first place. At the draft, he could barely keep a look of disappointment off his face as he shook David Stern’s hand.
Still, Stoudamire went on a rampage his rookie year averaging 19 points and 9.3 assists per game with 1.5 steals a game, taking home the Rookie of the Year Award and looking like the league’s next great point guard. He spent one more full year with the Raptors, where he averaged basically the same numbers, before demanding a trade and being shipped to Portland.
With the Blazers, his numbers plummeted to 12 points and 6 assists a game. He held his own with some average teams there, having some solid seasons but never reaching the heights he did in Toronto.
In the end, Stoudamire went on to play two more seasons for the Grizzlies before his body betrayed him, he played a few games for the Spurs but was out of the league before his 35th birthday. A sad end for what should have been a great career.
So why is he here? You have to remember that during those first two Raptors years Stoudamire was breaking rookie records left and right. He was lightning fast, a deadeye shooter, and the team’s first star. Stoudamire left a lot to be desired, but he looked like a superstar at times, and that’s good enough to become No. 5 on this list.
No. 4: Alvin Williams
It’s tough to measure what Williams meant to the city because so much of his value is intangible. His raw stats are pretty underwhelming. During his years with the Raptors, he averaged 10 points, four assists, and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 42 percent from the field and 31 percent from three.
Still, the fans loved him.
He was the kind of player who always seemed to be bigger than his stats. Struggling with lower leg injuries for his entire career, Williams would labor through the pain just so he could dive on the ground for loose balls. He was a fighter, whatever his limitations.
Part of why we loved Williams was because he was such a departure from our star of the day, Vince Carter. While Vince, a better player, was a superstar, Williams did a lot of the dirty work that goes unnoticed.
Williams would fight and claw for every possession, and that’s really the theme of all great Raptors point guards. The John Wall/Derrick Rose mega-stars that light up social media aren’t gravitating here. What will work, however, is gutting things out on the defensive end with effort and hustle on both ends.
Alvin would sacrifice. He’d run himself ragged every night for us, and that’s why his measly stats and average career will be remembered by fondly Raptors fans forever.
No. 3: Jose Calderon
In the 2009 season, Calderon averaged 13 points, 9 assists, and 3 rebounds, shooting 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3, and an insane 98 percent from the free-throw line. I don’t care how good your aim is, that is a ridiculous number.
Calderon may have only missed 3 free throws that season, but his stats are not why he’s ranked above players with bigger names than himself. If our gripes with Andrea Bargnani and DeMar DeRozan were that they consistently underachieved in their roles as stars, Calderon was the exact opposite. He was an overachieving role player.
Calderon was the Raptors’ equivalent of Steve Kerr; a great shooter and steady contributor who knew never to try to do more than what he was capable of. To win in this league you have to have some adults on your team from a maturity point of view. There are All-Stars who are not adults, and Calderon was a model NBA adult. He knew what he was, and consistently gave you quality minutes.
The reason he doesn’t rank higher on this list is that his stretch with the Raptors did not result in much winning. Over the eight seasons Calderon played for the Raptors, the team never made it past the first round of the playoffs.
Calderon’s legacy could have been bolstered the way Kerr’s was by playing on a great team, but not everyone can play with Michael Jordan. Instead, Calderon will be remembered with reverence by the few who know what he brought to the Raptors.
No. 2: Fred VanVleet
His chapter in our franchise’s history is far from over, but Freddy-V already has one of the most impressive resumes of any Raptor ever. Heck, as of early February, he has the record for points in a game by a Raptor. He’s also an NBA champion and the recipient of a Finals MVP vote.
VanVleet’s size means his offensive identity all stems from his jump shooting, but when the man is firing on all cylinders, he has gone toe to toe with Stephen Curry in the Finals. A player with so few natural gifts, often the smallest man on the court, has turned into a dynamic offensive player.
He can bomb shots from deep, he’s a career 84 percent free-throw shooter and 39 percent 3-point shooter, he can finish around contact, and has a real sweet handle. VanVleet’s dribble is one of the most underrated parts of his game, not because he’s an incredible space creator or ankle breaker, but because his is one of the most unpluckable ball-handles we’ve seen.
First, and most importantly, he won a championship. Not only that, he played so well in the Finals that he actually earned himself a vote for Finals MVP over Kawhi Leonard. That’s how good he was in that series.
VanVleet has put up these numbers and been this vital to team success all while playing second fiddle to Kyle Lowry. His stats have rarely been empty, and having him out there makes the Raptors a more dangerous team.
Coming off last year’s playoffs and this year being the best statistical season of his career, Fred VanVleet’s place in Raptors history is only likely to grow. The people love him, even if only has one facial expression.
No. 1: Kyle Lowry
Was there ever any doubt? The Raptors have had some all-stars in their history, a few all-NBA guys too, but Lowry is the only one who could credibly pull off the speech from Braveheart.
Lowry is a dog. He’s not the most talented star Toronto had, nor the most skilled, but no Raptor has ever given more of himself to the team. His signature move? Taking the charge.
When Toronto won the title in 2019, Kawhi was their best player, but Kyle was the leader. He was the one who exploded for 14 points in the first quarter of Game 6 of the Finals, helping take down the mighty Golden State Warriors.
The stats back up how good Lowry has been as a Raptor. After starting his career in Memphis and earning himself a trade put of Houston, Lowry has since averaged 17.6 points and 7.1 assists in nine seasons as a Raptor. Even as he approaches 35 years old, he is making a push for an All-Star game nod.
Rather than play like a Vince Carter-type that relies on flashiness and substance, Lowry opts for a determined, motivational style of leadership that has helped the Raptors become a consistent winner. He’s played for three franchises throughout his career, but he will always be a Toronto Raptor at heart.