Throughout the history of the Toronto Raptors, there has always been a correlation between team success and having a great power forward on the roster.
Remember back to the Kyle Lowry/DeMar DeRozan days where the team was so close to getting over the LeBron hump (or at least the fans thought they were)? All they needed was an upgrade at the forward position! James’ offensive supernova could’ve been extinguished.
By the time Pascal Siakam ascended into stardom, DeRozan had been flipped for Kawhi Leonard and the rest is history. The Raptors haven’t had many star power forwards in their brief history, but when they do it often leads to devastating results for the opposition.
While Charles Oakley, Donyell Marshall, and Luis Scola just missed the cut, and Serge Ibaka was more of a center during his time north of the border, these five power forwards stand out as the best in franchise history.
Top 5 power forwards in Toronto Raptors history
Raptors power forward No. 5: Patrick Patterson
Starting the list off on a slightly underwhelming note, Patterson gets on the list by way of a decent tenure (four years), decent numbers (7.6 points, 4.9 rebounds per game), and getting some quality playing time for one of the more successful runs in Raptors franchise history.
A solid player, he was really a product of the team around him. Often times the worst of the five starters during the DeRozan era, Patterson was marketed to Raptors fans as a rock-solid 3-&-D player similar to OG Anunoby is today. Someone who could knock down open jumpers, grab a few rebounds, and guard the opposing team’s best forward.
Patrick Patterson had some solid moments for the Raptors
Patterson was able to endear himself to Raptors fans when he first arrived, as he was the perfect rough-and-tumble big man off of the bench. While Patterson looked to have a career as a backup big man on Dwane Casey’s team, his inability to come through in the postseason eventually brought his
Patterson was a solid player for a few years, but was certainly never a star and more often than not left the team feeling flat. No doubt he will be replaced on these lists over the coming years.
Raptors power forward No. 4: Amir Johnson
Johnson embodies all the best parts of a role player in the NBA. Unselfish, hardworking, intelligent, and a true gentleman on and off the floor. Johnson’s locker room leadership kept him the league long after his basketball abilities had dried up. While they lasted, he was a strong contributor during the turning point in Raptors history.
Johnson’s tenure in Toronto lasted six years (2009-15) in which he put up modest numbers (8.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.1 blocks) which never fully encapsulated his effect on the game. He was a great defender, decently nimble for a man 6’9 and 240 lbs, with long arms and a really polished old-school post game. Watch his 2013 career-high against the Lakers.
Amir Johnson was a decent starter for the Raptors
Still, his most impressive trait was his intangibles. While it’s impossible to quantify things like “patience” and “intelligence”, one can try through the most telling Johnson stat, his 57.0 career field goal percentage which puts him 14th all-time.
Johnson was never a star. Nowhere near that in fact. But he was a winning player. He was a staple of the Raptors while the DeRozan/Lowry era was righting the ship. As fans take pride in the stellar culture of today’s franchise, remember that it was built by guys like Johnson.
Raptors power forward No. 3: Andrea Bargnani
You all know the negatives. Toronto drafted Bargnani 1st overall in 2006, one slot above LaMarcus Aldridge. Despite having deceptively good lateral mobility, he was an egregious defender protecting the rim, in the post, and against the pick-and-roll, he was one of the most lackluster rebounders we’ve ever seen for his size.
So why is he 3rd on this list? We must remember that just because he was a disappointment doesn’t necessarily mean he’s a failure. Bargnani, for all his faults, wasn’t a bad NBA player/ He was a 7-footer with real offensive gifts both from range and close to the basket.
Andrea Bargnani was a solid scorer for the Raptors
He had nice soft hands, he could step out and shoot threes before it was popular, and was an 82% free throw shooter for his career. When he was asked to carry the offensive load from 2010-2012 he averaged 21.4 points a game
Through it all he was never good enough to be a star. The team asked him to be a star when they drafted him first overall and he wasn’t, they asked him to be a star when Chris Bosh left for Miami and he wasn’t. Bargnani is not Chris, nor is he Aldridge. Still, Bargnani was the best player for the bleakest era in Raptors history.
He was a big disappointment, but I’d imagine if you slotted him in as a role player for a good team he would have been remembered differently. Imagine what Bargnani could have been playing with Steve Nash’s Suns or backing up Dirk on the Mavericks. He could have averaged an important 14 and 5 for a good team. Instead he averaged an empty 21 and 6 for a bad one.
Raptors power forward No. 2: Pascal Siakam
There are dozens of players who exceed expectations. The league crowns a Most Improved Player every year, some of those MIPs go on to be stars and some don’t. Every basketball fan loves to watch the players who defy the odds. They’ve all improved a lot over their NBA careers, but none of those players have ever threatened to win the MIP twice.
Siakam’s improvement as a player has already been honored, but not enough people understand how historic it truly is. In 24 months from 2018-2020, Pascal more than tripled his scoring averages, nearly doubled his assist and rebounding numbers, and all while contributing to a title team.
Pascal Siakam is already making waves with the Raptors
In 2019 he went from a role player to a borderline All-Star. Since he’s gone from a borderline All-Star to a certified all-NBA talent. His ability to handle the ball, shoot, and use his size gives him a limitless offensive ceiling.
Standing on the threshold of his prime, Siakam’s already notable career with the Raptors is only bound to expand. He’s already been immortalized as part of the 2019 title run, but watching him carve out his own chapter in Raptors history will mean more for his eventual legacy in the league.
Raptors power forward No. 1: Chris Bosh
When Bosh chose to go to the Heat and win titles, nobody in Toronto blamed him. He had given the city seven years of stellar play, highlighted by two playoff appearances and a 2009-10 season where he put up 24 points and 11 boards per game while shooting 52%.
While recent stars have been criticized for their unceremonious departures from teams, Bosh’s exit from Toronto was about as gracious as one could have hoped for. We all understood that he had done all he could for us and that leaving the city was nothing personal, but rather the best move for his career. It was very Canadian on both sides.
He was immortalized for his Miami years. He became one of the greatest 3rd options ever, it was he who got the offensive rebound that led to the Ray Allen shot in 2013. He got his rings and went down in history. How could you ask him to give that up for six more mediocre years putting up stats in Toronto?
Chris Bosh is still a legend in Toronto
NBA history must remember how good Bosh was when he was “the guy”. He was one of the first stretch bigs once the league really started understanding how useful they were. He dragged some pretty bad Raptors teams to the playoffs. He was an all-star 11 out of his 13 years in the league.
The league didn’t move in his favor. Rather, he was one of the players who helped change the league. With his speed and energy, passing and ball-handling, and multi-level scoring ability, Bosh was the blueprint for the offensive repertoire displayed by Anthony Davis today. Bosh would have been even better if he had come into the league in 2021.
All of this to say that Bosh has one of the highest approval ratings of any star ever. He was smart and eloquent and gracious off the floor, and a damn good basketball player on it. He was beloved in Toronto and left like a gentleman. Even in Miami, when they were proudly adopting the “villains of the league” moniker, Bosh was never hated like LeBron or Wade.
He couldn’t will us to success alone, but Bosh’s career is the model for any star player on a weak team. Bosh is a Hall-of-Famer for sure.