Toronto Raptors: Top 5 small forwards in franchise history

In the 25 years that the Toronto Raptors franchise has been around, the small forward position has rarely been jam-packed with talent. Compared to the depth and marquee names at the other positions, the SF role hasn’t always been the most well-rounded position.

Through solid scouting, development and a timely trade, we still managed to find some gems along the way.

Before we jump in, while he is one of the Greatest Raptors of All Time and spent some time at the Small Forward position, Vince Carter primarily played as a shooting guard during his time with the Raptors. For that reason alone, he did not make the cut on this list.

Let’s dive right into it and countdown the Top 5 small forwards in Raptors history

Top 5 small forwards in the history of the Toronto Raptors

Raptors small forward No. 5: Terrence Ross

Toronto had high hopes for the former Husky, drafting him with the 8th pick in the first round of the 2012 Draft Class. There was no doubt he had the talent, as the former First Team All Pac-12 performer was an athletic 6’6″ guard who could shoot from deep, take flight with the best of them, and was a decent defender when he was locked in.

He started off hot by getting the league’s attention and winning Toronto fans over in the 2012 NBA Dunk Contest. Ross’ dunks would have easily crushed all of the 2021 NBA Dunk contestants. He is also the only other Raptor to ever win a dunk contest other than the legend himself in Carter.

Terrence Ross had some solid moments with the Raptors

He was paired in the frontcourt with DeMar Derozan and quickly became a key part of Toronto’s bench as a scoring punch. Although wildly inconsistent, the best game of his career in a Raptors jersey came when he caught fire and scored a career-high and franchise tying 51 points in Toronto’s 126-118 home loss to the Los Angeles Clippers in 2014.

The Raptors gave the swingman five seasons to prove himself before he got traded to Orlando for Serge Ibaka and a 2017 first-round draft pick. While he never quite attained the lofty expectations of a Top 10 pick, he will always be fondly remembered for his affinity to live above the rim and his effort off the bench.

The franchise gave him a warm welcome back in 2017 with a tribute video in his return to Toronto in another uniform. He returned the favor with some vintage dunks.