Raptors Rapture
Fansided

5 worst draft mistakes in Toronto Raptors franchise history

By Avishai Sol

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 20: Andrea Bargnani #7 of the Toronto Raptors looks on during warm ups against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on March 20, 2012 in New York City. 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 Chris Chambers/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 20: Andrea Bargnani #7 of the Toronto Raptors looks on during warm ups against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on March 20, 2012 in New York City. 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 Chris Chambers/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 5
Next
Joey Graham, Toronto Raptors
TORONTO – DECEMBER 1: Paul Pierce #34 of the Boston Celtics jumps for a rebound against Joey Graham #14 of the Toronto Raptors (David Sandford/NBAE via Getty Images) /

2005 NBA Draft:  Joey Graham (No. 16 Pick)

Not actually the dumbest pick, the team just missed the mark with this one.

It sucks that what the Raptors needed at the time was a scoring wing to back up Vince Carter and took Joey Graham with the 16th pick when Danny Granger was sitting right there.

Granger went 17th that night, went on to make an All-Star team before injuries sidetracked his career. He peaked in 2009 averaging 26 points a game, which means his prime would have overlapped with Bosh’s and they would have averaged something like 50 points together.

We can’t pin too much blame on the front office for this pick. Graham was coming off a great season playing for Oklahoma State. He was a 4-year senior and proven scorer and winner, but so was Granger. Sometimes you just miss the mark.

Joey Graham could’ve been a better pick for the Raptors.

Even in the middle of all this negativity, we have to remind ourselves that the draft is really really hard. There is so much front offices can’t predict, and this is just another example of how sometimes the coin just comes up tails.

Still, we had to include this pick in this list because of the way the players stacked up, the kind of guy the Raptors needed, and the fact that Graham had a career average of 7.8 win shares a game compared to Granger’s 48.5. Great.