Toronto Raptors: Every Top 10 NBA Draft pick in franchise history, ranked
By Ben Fisher
No. 4: Jonas Valanciunas (No. 5, 2011)
It’s now been 10 years since Valanciunas was taken fifth overall by the Raptors, the most recent time the franchise has held such lofty draft status. Although he never made an All-Star team or boasted flashy stats, the big Lithuanian has found success as the key interior presence on winning teams. Six of his nine career seasons have resulted in playoff appearances.
And he’s been an integral part of those teams. Valanciunas has started in all but 29 of his 621 career games. While the 29-year-old’s numbers have actually improved in Memphis with higher usage, Toronto still remembers his significance as a presence on the glass and his status as a solid interior scorer.
Pick Evolution
Valanciunas also happened to help land the Raptors the final piece of their championship puzzle, being the key part of the package that landed Marc Gasol at the 2019 trade deadline. It’s still fair to wonder two years later if the result would have ultimately been the same with JV at center, but it’s hard to see him mystifying Joel Embiid in quite the same way.
Hindsight Pick
Being a good teammate and a likable guy are great qualities, and because of Valanciunas’ impact on the organization, the 2011 draft will never be viewed as a missed opportunity. But, it kinda was.
Kemba Walker, Klay Thompson, Kawhi Leonard, Nikola Vucevic, and Jimmy Butler were all taken after Valanciunas, although none were projected to be in the top-five range.
No. 3: Chris Bosh (No. 4, 2003)
Any time you can land a Hall of Famer through the draft, chances are you’ve made a good pick. Chris Bosh will officially be inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in September after a decorated, albeit injury-shortened, 13-year career, seven years of which were spent in Toronto.
While some fans still bear resentment towards CB4 for ditching the Raptors to join the ‘Big Three’ Miami Heat in 2010, it doesn’t change the fact that he reigned as one of the few foundational stars in franchise history.
The Georgia Tech product was named an All-Star five times with the Raptors and led them to back-to-back postseason appearances, including a 2007 division title.
Pick Evolution
When it was clear that Bosh was South Beach-bound, the Raptors and Heat facilitated a sign-and-trade deal. This allowed Toronto to recoup a 2011 first-rounder (the JV pick) they had surrendered to Miami in the Jermaine O’Neal/Shawn Marion trade and add another first-rounder, plus a $16.5 million trade exception.
Both the first and part of the trade exception would ultimately land James Johnson (plus other filler).
Hindsight Pick
What keeps the Bosh selection from ranking higher is that, even in drafting a future Hall of Fame big man, the Raps could’ve done better.
One pick later, Miami nabbed Dwyane Wade, Bosh’s future ‘Big Three’ cohort along with fellow 2003 draftee LeBron James. While big/guard comparisons can be tricky, we saw through the pecking order in Miami that Wade clearly ranks a step above among the two.
No. 2: DeMar DeRozan (No. 9, 2009)
While there may have been more popular players in the history of the Raptors’ franchise than DeRozan (although not many), few have seen that love carry on in the same way after his tenure with the club. DeRozan has been in San Antonio for three full seasons now, but there remains a strong connection between the player and his former city.
The connection between DeRozan and the Raptors fan base stems from the USC product being the only homegrown star in club history who wished to stay put rather than engineer an exit. Though the championship only came upon his departure via trade, the four-time All-Star was the leading scorer on several very good teams in Toronto, playoff perceptions be damned.
Pick Evolution
As we all know, DeRozan (and Poeltl and a first-round pick) became Leonard and Danny Green, which ultimately put the Raps on a fast track to the 2019 title. Even still, you can forgive some fans for still carrying some mixed emotions over the deal, especially after the prompt, one-and-done free agent exits of Leonard and Green only served to underscore DeRozan’s loyalty.
Hindsight Pick
DeRozan ranks third in points among the 2009 draft class, behind only mega-stars James Harden and Steph Curry, so it’s hard to quibble with his draft slot. Jrue Holiday, Jeff Teague, Patty Mills, and Green all delivered excellent value later in the draft, but Toronto most definitely isn’t looking for a do-over.