Toronto Raptors: Every Top 10 NBA Draft pick in franchise history, ranked
By Ben Fisher
No. 10: Jakob Poeltl (No. 9, 2016)
No, Poeltl hasn’t panned out in the way you might expect from a ninth overall draft choice, but it’s hard to fault the Raptors here. For one thing, they landed the pick as part of a very one-sided trade. Beyond that, part of Poeltl’s development struggles in Toronto can be attributed to a lack of minutes, which the Raptors were simply too good to offer.
In hindsight, though, Poeltl’s credentials as a top-10 pick seem a little suspect despite a fantastic final year at Utah. Sure, no team would mind a 7-1 interior presence with a skilled low post game. However, the Austrian isn’t a particularly strong rebounder (5.4 career rate on the boards) nor does he have any perimeter game (two career three-point attempts).
Luckily, he’s since found a home in San Antonio after the Kawhi Leonard deal, becoming one of the game’s better defensive centers.
Pick Evolution
It’s a credit to the Raptors that each of these past three picks – Bender, Villanueva, and now Poeltl – highlighted examples of the club successfully selling high on potential. For Poeltl, that meant a part in the franchise-altering Leonard trade. He even got a nice ovation of his own during DeMar DeRozan’s emotional first game back in Toronto as a Spur.
Hindsight Pick
That Pascal Siakam guy seems to be working out pretty well. Apart from the Raptors’ late first-round thievery, Domantas Sabonis, Caris LeVert and second-round steal Malcolm Brogdon were the only considerable misses available at No. 9.
No. 9: Andrea Bargnani (No. 1, 2006)
No, Bargnani never became the player the Raptors hoped they were getting with the first pick of the 2006 NBA Draft, but perceptions of the Italian seven-footer have always seemed a bit unfair to me. To this day, ‘Il Mago’ ranks among the franchise’s top-10 career leaders in games, points, three-pointers, and even rebounds.
Sure, it didn’t help Bargnani’s perception with the fan base that he was allergic to defense and often looked disengaged and uninterested. However, there has been worse production from previous top picks than a 15.2 points per game scoring average and 43.7% shooting percentage over seven seasons. He still owns the fifth-highest scoring average from that draft class.
Ultimately, Bargnani was a solid NBA scorer for a decade. Whilst admirable, it’s doesn’t justify his selection at No. 1.
Pick Evolution
Seven years into Bargnani’s NBA career and three years into a back-loaded five-year, $50 million contract, the Raptors dumped him off on the New York Knicks and somehow still landed three draft picks, including the top-10 first-rounder used to select Poeltl. Incredibly, you can draw a fairly direct link between Bargnani and the Kawhi trade.
Hindsight Pick
LaMarcus Aldridge recently retired from the NBA after a career that might merit Hall of Fame consideration. In doing so, he inspired a new round of discussion over whether Toronto should have taken Aldridge first or if the redundancy with Chris Bosh already in place was valid.
If Aldridge wouldn’t have been a fit, maybe Brandon Roy, Rudy Gay, Rajon Rondo, or even Kyle Lowry could have been.
No. 8: Terrence Ross (No. 8, 2012)
The Raptors were roundly criticized on draft night in 2012 for drafting Ross out of Washington in what was considered a significant reach. While critics were right that the club hadn’t drafted a future star, Ross has quietly proven himself worthy of his lofty selection.
In nine years since being selected, the current Orlando Magic wing sits an appropriate eighth in scoring among his class.
As far as a retrospective evaluation goes, this basically amounts to a shrug. Ross has certainly had his moments, including a 51-point explosion back in 2014. Mainly, he’s simply served as a competent 3-and-D role player with a perfectly solid, but not overly memorable, run in Toronto.
Pick Evolution
Another top-10 draft choice, another trade for a foundational championship piece. Ahead of the 2017 trade deadline, Ross was packaged with a first-rounder in exchange for Serge Ibaka, who was struggling through a forgettable season in Orlando. Though Ibaka was slow to adapt upon coming over, he ultimately developed into a fan favorite and vital contributor to the 2019 title.
Hindsight Pick
Having added Jonas Valanciunas (more on him later) one season prior, the eventual No. 9 pick, Andre Drummond, was an alluring option, but would have proven to be a potentially problematic fit. Apart from second-rounder Khris Middleton or Evan Fournier, it’s tough to find another clearly better alternative taken after Ross.