Luck and good fortune smiled down on the Toronto Raptors for the first time in what feels like forever, as they ended up getting the No. 4 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft despite just the seventh-best odds at earning the top selection and comparatively unlikely odds at gaining a selection in that rarified air.
The Raptors haven’t had a pick this high in 15 years, when they took Andrea Bargnani with the top selection in the 2006 draft. While they won’t get that level of control over the draft, they are in a perfect position to add some talent.
The No. 4 pick has been one of the best ways to add a franchise cornerstone, as several Hall of Famers and future Hall of Famers got their start in the pros after being taken with this pick. Could the Raptors add another?
These 15 players are the best NBA stars that have had a No. 4 pick bestowed upon them. If the Raptors play their cards right, they can take whomever they end up with at No. 4 and turn them into an NBA star.
The Detroit Pistons have won the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. The Toronto Raptors will select at No. 4.https://t.co/6dmdvmbzY1
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 23, 2021
Toronto Raptors: Top 15 No. 4 draft picks of all time
Honorable Mentions
Lamar Odom (1999) was a lethal scorer for the Clippers and a champion Lakers team, but he just missed the cut, as did three-time champion Byron Scott (1983). Chuck Person (1986) was a tremendous shooter, and Xavier McDaniel (1985) remains one of the most underrated players ever, but neither of them made the cut.
Sam Perkins (1984) played at an above-average level for 17 years, but the man drafted after Michael Jordan and before Charles Barkley never played like a superstar.
15. Jamal Mashburn (1993)
Because his career ended prematurely due to injury, an entire generation of fans has forgotten what a dominant scorer Mashburn was. After scoring 20 points per game as a member of “Triple J Ranch” in Dallas, the former Kentucky star embarked on a career in which he started for some quality Heat teams and proved his quality while leading the Hornets before injuries.
In his career, Mashburn averaged 19.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game, but he made just one All-Star team in his career near the end of his Hornets tenure.
Mashburn was really ahead of his time, as he was a 6-8 forward who could bully opponents in the low post while using his ability to shoot and pass to become a focal point on offense. While his lack of longevity cost him in these rankings, any opportunity to examine one of the most underrated players in recent NBA history.
14. Mike Conley (2007)
When Conley arrived in Memphis out of Ohio State, they were completely rudderless and trading Pau Gasol halfway through his rookie year. Conley was instrumental in establishing the “Grint n’ Grind” Grizzlies while putting up consistently elite production that was overlooked by the NBA media.
Conley has averaged 14.9 points and 5.7 assists per game in his career, and while he has just one All-Star game nod in his career, picked up this year, he has been underrated for his entire NBA life.
Conley is starting to get his flowers thanks to a solid run as the point guard in Utah, as he has quietly been an upper-tier point guard for a decade. History will look back on Conley’s accomplishments and see that playing in small markets for his whole career did him and his numbers a disservice.
13. Antawn Jamison (1998)
Jamison was actually a selection of the Raptors way back when, but he was soon traded to the Golden State Warriors for Vince Carter. He might not have been Vince, but the North Carolina product became a deadly scorer in Oakland before a move to Washington helped him become one of the best players in Bullets/Wizards franchise history.
Jamison averaged 18.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game for his career, making two All-Star teams in the process. Jamison was a player ahead of his time, as a small-ball forward that could rebound and shoot at 6-8 would be rolling in dough in 2021.
Jamison’s early numbers in Golden State came on some awful teams (some coached by another legendary No. 4 pick), and he was usually regarded as second fiddle to Gilbert Arenas in Washington. Despite all of that, Jamison forged a respectable career with numbers that rival some of the best contemporaries of his era.
12. Jerry Sloan (1965)
Before he became the coach of one of the NBA’s more recognizable 90s teams in the John Stockton/Karl Malone Jazz, Sloan was the first great player in Chicago Bulls history and one of the best defensive players of his era. The Evansville product was one of the few players worth watching during some rough Bulls seasons.
Averaging 14.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game as a guard in that era is impressive enough, but making two All-Star teams and six All-Defensive teams helped cement his spot here.
Sloan remains an iconic Bull to this day, and he translated his hard-nosed style of play to the bench when he became a coach. Sloan’s Utah tenure might’ve overshadowed his time as a player, but the youngest of NBA fans should be made aware of what a suffocating player he was to play against.
11. Micheal Ray Richardson (1978)
Very few players achieve stardom for both the Knicks and Nets, but Richarson, who was picked No. 4 overall out of Montana, managed to achieve this rare feat by becoming one of the best two-way players of his era in New York and sustaining that production what he made the move to New Jersey later in his career.
Richardson has a 20 point per game season, a 10 assist per game season, three years in which he led the league in steals per game, four All-Star games, and two All-Defensive team nominations on his resume.
Another player who would’ve been more respected if he was playing today, Richardson was a 6-5 point guard who could take the best opposing player completely out of the game. If the Raptors end up taking a player of his caliber, they will have done well for themselves in the draft.
10. Glen Rice (1989)
Over the course of his 15-year career, Rice, scooped up by Miami out of Michigan, achieved icon status with three different franchises. His early career made him one of the best players in heat history, he was an All-Star in all three of his career-best scoring seasons with the Hornets, and he put his scoring aside to help the Shaq/Kobe Lakers win a championship.
Rice was named an All-Star three times in his career and an All-NBA performer twice. In a seven-season span between 1991 and 1998, Rice averaged 22.2 points per game while averaging at least 21 points per game six times.
His career may not have come to the most satisfying conclusion, but Miami Rice was a matchup nightmare, and Charlotte Rice has a three-year stretch where his scoring numbers were as good as any small forward in the league. Safe to say, that’s not a bad selection at that point in the draft.
9. Stephon Marbury (1996)
While some younger fans may only remember the less than ideal way his Knicks career ended and his icon status in China, Marbury was one of the best pure scoring guards of his era, as the Georgia Tech point guard’s occasionally prickly personality was overshadowed by his jaw-dropping offensive game.
Marbury averaged 19.3 points and 7.6 assists per game while making two All-Star teams in his career. That’s impressive by itself, but Marbury also averaged 20.5 points and 8.2 assists per game in his pre-Knicks career, spent with the Timberwolves, Suns, and Nets.
Marbury didn’t have the staying power, but those who played against him in his prime saw a mind-bending combination of skills on the offensive end, and that combination was enough to push him this high up on this list.
8. Rasheed Wallace (1995)
Wallace’s career can be divided into two halves; his time as an elite scorer for his size in Portland and his tenure as some interior muscle and vocal leadership with a champion in Detroit. In both situations, the North Carolina product proved that his style of play was so dominant at times that he made his teams some of the most feared squads of the turn of the millennium.
Wallace averaged 14.4 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game in his career. A truly rare combination of finesse, shooting skill, and volcanic emotion, anyone who faced Wallace was in for a rough afternoon.
Wallace could’ve had an even better statistical career if he didn’t go to Detroit, as he sacrificed stats to help a slow, physical Larry Brown team grind out victories. Wallace was integral to both Portland and Detroit, and the four-time All-Star’s legacy goes beyond the box score.
7. Lou Hudson (1966)
It’s a shame that Hudson’s Hawks career is often obscured to the general NBA public, as the Minnesota product could take over games with his eyes closed. While Atlanta kept running into dynasties in the postseason in their first few seasons after the St. Louis move, Hudson and a young Pete Maravich made the Hawks a special offensive team at times.
During their first six years in Atlanta, Hudson made six consecutive All-Star games, averaging 25.2 points per game. Those numbers are even more impressive when you consider he was playing alongside Maravich and without a 3-point line.
Effortlessly smooth and able to lead a team in scoring consistently, Hudson’s NBA career deserved more than being mentioned alongside Maravich. Hopefully, Springfield will take a longer look at his resume, as his play could warrant induction.
6. Dikembe Mutombo (1991)
The next great big man to come out of John Thompson’s Georgetown program after Patrick Ewing, Congolese star Mutombo embarked on a career that saw him play until he was 42 years old. He made his mark on the game, as he is without question one of the greatest defensive players at any position of all time.
During his first decade in the league, Mutombo led the league in rebounding twice and blocks per game three times. With Denver, Atlanta, and Philadelphia, Mutombo averaged 12.3 points and 12.3 rebounds per game with a tidy 3.4 blocks per game.
Mutombo and his signature finger wag were named to eight All-Star teams and six All-Defensive teams on his way to four Defensive Player of the Year awards. Mutumbo never won a championship, but he had a four or five-year stretch that was as dominant a defensive stretch as anyone ever had.
5. Dolph Schayes (1948)
Technically, NYU product Schayes was taken by the Knicks in the 1948 BAA draft before ending up on the Syracuse Nationals, but the NBA absorbed them just two years later, so he counts for this list. Film on Schayes is hard to come by, but his numbers in the era in which he played make him every bit deserving of his Hall of Fame induction.
Schayes was named to 12 All-Star teams and a mind-blowing 12 All-NBA teams, more than any other No. 4 pick in history. During those 12 seasons, Schayes averaged 19.7 points and 12.8 rebounds per game.
Schayes film is incredibly rare, and the level of competition may not be up to par when compared to some modern contemporaries, but Schayes was as dominant as you could be during that time, and being the best big man in the game for a decade warrants inclusion high on this list.
4. Chris Bosh (2003)
The last time the Raptors earned the No. 4 selection in the draft, they were able to convert that pick into Bosh, a toolsy forward out of Georgia Tech picked after LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, yet just before Dwyane Wade. Considering how his name is plastered all over the Raptors’ record books, it’s safe to say the Bosh pick worked out.
Bosh made 11 consecutive All-Star teams, all while averaging 19.2 points and 8.5 rebounds per contest. He won his championships with Miami, but he made his name as an elite forward during his time with Toronto.
Bosh would certainly be higher on this list if some adverse health effects didn’t force him out of the game at just 31 years old. Even with the early exit, he leaves with him a career full of long-lasting memories in both Miami and Toronto.
3. Dave Cowens (1970)
With so many great players, especially bigs, prominently featured across the history of the Boston Celtics, Cowens often gets overlooked. The Florida State product may never get the proper amount of respect after a legendary pro career, but he was as dominant as they come for a short period of time.
Injuries hampered his effectiveness, but in the first 8 years of his career, Cowens averaged 18.8 points, 15.2 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game. Cowens is an eight-time All-Star, three-time All-NBA player, three-time All-Defensive team nominee, a two-time champion, and an MVP.
If Cowens didn’t retire at such a young age, basketball historians would be able to appreciate him for the dominant post player he was. Even in an era with so many great big men, Cowens’ numbers rank right up there with the best.
2. Chris Paul (2005)
Paul came into the league as an undersized guard from Wake Forest who needed to prove he could translate his tremendous college career to pro success. Paul has not only done that several times over, but in doing so he has made himself one of the best point guards in NBA history thanks to his style of play.
Paul has 11 All-Star nods and 10 All-NBA appearances to his name. With nine All-Defensive team selections, six steals titles, and four assists titles, Paul has pulled in more than his fair share of individual accolades.
This campaign with Phoenix gives him perhaps the best chance to finally chase that elusive championship, which would be one heck of a way to solidify one of the strongest Hall of Fame resumes of all time.
1. Russell Westbrook (2008)
When Westbrook was taken by Seattle in 2008 right before they moved to Oklahoma City, there was some question as to what the UCLA product would become in the pros. Sure, he was a show-stopping athlete, but will Westbrook become the offensive player that OKC needed to carry this franchise?
Westbrook has not only became an instant Hall of Famer, nine-time All-Star, and MVP, but he has taken ownership of the triple-double stat. It was Oscar Robertson’s for the longest time, but Westbrook is now the singular triple-double artist.
In addition to averaging a triple-double, something that was thought to be one step short of impossible for the longest time, four times in his career, but Westbrook has now taken Robertson’s spot atop the all-time triple-double leaderboard. Career averages of 23.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 8.5 assists per game boggle the mind.
Yes, Westbrook doesn’t have a championship on his resume, and he has never been a great shooter, but he is one of the hardest-playing and well-rounded players at any position in league history, and that gives him the edge.