Toronto Raptors: Top 10 rookie seasons in franchise history

The Toronto Raptors made their highest draft pick in over a decade in the 2021 NBA Draft, choosing to add Florida State standout Scottie Barnes with the No. 4 overall selection. The Raptors have had some big names come through Toronto despite the fact they haven’t been around for a very long time as a franchise.

Players like Vince Carter and Chris Bosh arrived in Toronto with boundless hype, and while they may not have had the smoothest exits, their play on the court was everything the franchise could have asked for.

Of course, the Raptors haven’t just leaned on those drafted high, as even players picked outside of the lottery or brought onto the team as an international free agent has been able to produce instantly. Despite being such a young franchise, Toronto has gotten plenty of impact performances from their rookies.

Barnes will have plenty of great seasons to measure himself against. By the end of his rookie year, is there a chance we’ll see him unseat one of these players with one of the 10 best debut seasons in Raptors history?

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Top 10 rookie seasons in Toronto Raptors history.

10. DeMar DeRozan, 2009-10

DeRozan would eventually become one of the greatest players in Raptors history, but he got his start as a wiry shooting guard out of USC that served as a complementary piece to Bosh and Bargnani. Toronto had one of the best offenses in the league that year, and DeRozan was one of the reasons why.

DeRozan’s 8.6 points and 2.9 rebounds per game might look pretty ordinary, but making 50% of his shots while deferring to Bosh frequently served as a preview of one of the most dominant careers of any shooting guard drafted in the decade.

DeMar DeRozan set the tone for an impressive Raptors career.

By the end of his career in Toronto, DeRozan scored more points than anyone else in franchise history, and he accentuated that by averaging at least 20 points per game in five straight seasons and presiding over a good chunk of the most successful stretch of basketball in Raptors history.

If Barnes ends up being half of the player DeMar was and having half of the positive impact on the franchise that DeRozan had, Toronto will be thrilled with their selection. Before DeRozan was a dominant scorer with a legit Hall of Fame case, he was just a stringy 20-year-old guard trying to make a name for himself under Jay Triano.

9. Morris Peterson, 2000-01

Peterson was in an odd place when he came into the league, as the Michigan State product was one of only two players younger than 25 on a Lenny Wilkens team laden with veteran talent. That didn’t stop him from contributing as a shooter and defender during his first season in the NBA.

Peterson averaged 9.3 points and 3.2 rebounds per game while making 38% of his 3-point attempts. Peterson would eventually become one of the greatest shooting guards in team history on the back of seven fabulous seasons in which he averaged 12.0 points per game despite constant coaching turnover.

Morris Peterson showed off the traits that made him a Raptors fan favorite.

Peterson’s rookie year came within the context of one of the best pre-Masai Ujiri Raptors teams, as Lenny Wilkens won 47 games took the team to the second round of the playoffs. Peterson clearly played an important role despite his tender age, and he would keep making plays for 11 years in the pros.

Peterson is the epitome of a perfect role player. He put in an honest night’s work every single day, becoming a solid scorer and pestilent defender in the process. He doesn’t have any titles to his name, but he is still one of the best Raptors guards of all time.

8. Jorge Garbajosa, 2006-07

Garbajosa is one of the best Raptors rookies ever and a tragic story at the same time. Brought over to Toronto at age 28 after a long career in Italy and Spain, Garbajosa averaged 8.5 points and 4.9 rebounds per game while starting 60 games. It looked like Garbajosa, Chris Bosh, and Andrea Bargnani would be Toronto’s young frontcourt of the future.

Heartbreak sunk in when suffered a horrific leg injury that shattered his fibula and dislocated his ankle in March. Surgery knocked him out for the rest of the season, and he played just seven ineffective games in 2007-08 before returning to Europe for the rest of his career.

Jorge Garbajosa could have been a Toronto Raptors star.

Garbajosa, who earned an All-Rookie nod, was another stretch big man that could’ve added a veteran counterpoint to the young Bargnani and a budding superstar in Bosh. One twist of fate ruined his physical health, and his NBA career was cut short. Oh, what could’ve been…

Garbajosa ended up having some success back in Spain, and he has transitioned exceptionally well to his post-basketball life by becoming President of the Spanish Basketball Federation, but Raptors fans will remember him as a special talent that could’ve become a piece for the future without injuries.

7. Jamario Moon, 2007-08

After having to wait until age 27 to make his debut thanks to playing in a bunch of overseas and minor North American leagues, Moon finally got his shot in the pros with the Raptors. While he didn’t take games over, his averages on a Toronto squad that made the postseason remain rock-solid.

Moon averaged 8.5 points and 6.2 rebounds per game as a rookie, playing the role of an ultra-physical small forward as he helped Sam Mitchell and the Raptors win 41 games and make it to the postseason. As odd as it sounds, that year was the highlight of Moon’s time in Toronto.

Jamario Moon’s Toronto Raptors career was cut short.

Moon was traded, along with Jermaine O’Neal, to the Heat in a swap that brought Shawn Marion to Toronto. Over the next few years, Moon would bounce around with teams like the Clippers, Cavaliers, and Bobcats, never reaching the lofty heights that he showed during his rookie year.

Moon was never the most willing or reliable jump-shooter, and that inability to adapt on offense is likely what cost him a shot at becoming a starter down the road. Even with his short career, it’s easy to wonder what could’ve been for Moon if that trade never happened and he stayed in Toronto.

6. Andrea Bargnani, 2006-07

Bargnani’s legacy in Toronto remains complicated to this day. On one hand, averaged 15.2 points per game over seven years is quality production no matter how you slice it. On the other hand, his inability to take games over on offense and poor defensive skills have him wavering around bust territory in the eyes of some.

Bargnani, who was picked over players like Kyle Lowry, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Paul Millsap, started his career off nicely, averaging 11.6 points and 3.9 points per game on 42% shooting while being named to the All-Rookie team. The Raptors won 47 games and made the playoffs.

Based on that season, Raptors fans expected superstar production, but the most Bargnani ever because was a solid No. 2 option on some bad teams.

Andrea Bargnani scored well, but he still disappointed the Raptors.

Bargnani was an above-average NBA player for over a decade, but considering the hype around him and the fact that he and Bosh were supposed to be the frontcourt of the future, the anticlimactic end to his Raptors career was certainly disappointing.

Bargnani was not a bad NBA player, and his quality shooting stroke helped him plaster his name all over several of the Raptors’ all-time lists. However, considering that Toronto expected him to change the dynamic of the franchise, his time with the Raptors is still regarded by some as an underperformance.

5. Charlie Villanueva, 2005-06

Before Bargnani even arrived in Toronto, Villanueva looked like someone who could’ve been a piece of their long-term core, as the former UConn star proved that he was more than capable of scoring at an above-average clip in this league. It’s a shame they only gave him one season in Canada.

Villanueva averaged 13.0 points and 6.4 rebounds per game as a rookie, and those numbers came with Bosh, Peterson, Mike James, and Jalen Rose all taking shots from him. His blend of interior finishing and 3-point shooting served him well in a very long, very prosperous career, most of which was not in Toronto.

Charlie Villanueva could’ve had a long career in Toronto.

Villanueva was traded for TJ Ford due to the fact that he might be a funky fit alongside Bosh and Bargnani. Ford lasted two up-and-down seasons, while Villanueva carved out a respectable 11-year career with Detroit, Milwaukee, and Dallas as a stretch power forward.

Villanueva was a solid stretch power forward in Milwaukee before a host of injuries in his Detroit tenure ultimately forced him away from the game. He was developing nicely in Toronto, and not trading him may have been the better short-term move for a team that would make the playoffs just a season later.

4. Chris Bosh, 2003-04

Bosh didn’t leave Toronto in the most graceful given how sudden it was, but he is still one of the greatest to ever to do it. The fourth overall pick out of Georgia Tech after LeBron James, Darko Milicic, and Carmelo Anthony went off the board, he proved he was a star despite one of the worst offenses in NBA history around him.

Bosh averaged 11.5 points and 7.4 rebounds per game despite playing in a Kevin O’Neill offense that was 27th in pace and dead last in scoring per game at 85.4 points per game. That’s three quarters of work nowadays! When Sam Mitchell came in, Bosh made the first of what would be 11 straight All-Star teams.

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Chris Bosh’s rookie year helped set the foundation for a legendary career.

Bosh, who was recently elected to the Hall of Fame because of his accomplishments with Toronto and Miami, remains the greatest big man in Raptors history, and while he never won a title the foundation he laid during that rookie year set him up for a half-decade of dominance in Canada.

Bosh may not have left Toronto on the best of terms, but that doesn’t erase the legacy that he built during his time north of the border. Though his No. 4 might be getting passed on to Barnes, Scottie will have a ton of work to do if he wants to eclipse Bosh in Raptors history.

3. Marcus Camby, 1996-97

The key piece to John Calipari’s UMass teams and one of the best shot-blockers in NBA history, Camby was such a hyped prospect that Toronto took him with the No. 2 overall pick in the competitive 1996 draft when names like Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Ray Allen, Stephon Marbury, and Jermaine O’Neal were on the board.

Camby averaged a career-high 14.8 points per game to go along with 6.3 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per contest. When his sophomore totals took a slight downturn, the Raptors made the egregious error of trading him despite the fact he averaged an astounding 3.7 blocks per game.

Marcus Camby had a great career after leaving the Toronto Raptors.

Camby was traded to the Knicks for Sean Marks and Charles Oakley. Marks barely played, and the 35-year-old Oakley looked much less effective than the physical bulldozer he was alongside Patrick Ewing. Camby, meanwhile, embarked on a lengthy career with the Knicks, Nuggets, Clippers, and Trail Blazers.

Despite playing until he was 38, Camby averaged 9.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game. A Defensive Player of the Year, Camby led the league in blocks four times and averaged at least 3.0 blocks five times, all while topping 10.0 rebounds per game nine times in a 10-year span.

That might’ve been a better investment than a few years of Oakley near the end of his career.

2. Vince Carter, 1998-99

Another star who didn’t stick the dismount when leaving Toronto, Carter is still an icon in Raptors history, and his impact on both the franchise and Canadian basketball as a whole will not be forgotten. That legendary career got started with a promising season in 1998 for Butch Carter.

Carter averaged 18.3 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, helping the Raptors go 23-27 just one year after a 16-66 season. Carter would start uncorking the first of what would become an entire photo album full of insane dunks, as his boundless athletic ability took the basketball world by storm.

Oh, and he won Rookie of the Year. Not too bad.

Vince Carter changed the trajectory of the Toronto Raptors.

Over the next three years, Carter would average 26.1 points per game with some efficient shooting percentages, making his mark as an elite offensive play and perhaps the greatest dunker this game has ever seen. Considering the next pick after him was the late Robert Traylor, Toronto did alright here.

Carter played for over 20 years with seven different franchises, and while his Nets tenure is remembered fondly, his accomplishments as a youngster in Toronto stand out. Even during his rookie year, it was clear that Carter was a cut above the rest, and he proved that true over the course of his career.

1. Damon Stoudamire, 1995-96

Stoudamire and Carter are the only two Raptors to win Rookie of the year, and while Carter has a case for the top spot given the impact that he had on the franchise, Stoudamire takes the top spot on this list considering he put up some ridiculous numbers despite being on an expansion team.

Stoudamire averaged 19.0 points per game and 9.3 assists per game in his first season in the NBA. That 9.3 number is even more significant because only Mark Jackson in 1987 and the immortal Oscar Robertson in 1960 recorded a higher assist per game average during their rookie season. 

Damon Stoudamire was a star with the Toronto Raptors.

Stoudamire’s expert shooting, nifty penetration, and masterful passing would serve him well in a career that lasted 13 years. Unfortunately, most of them were not in Toronto, as a disgruntled Stoudamire was traded to Portland in the middle of his third season.

The Raptors didn’t do a ton of winning in the pre-Carter era, but Stoudamire was without question the team’s best player, and the Arizona standout went on to prove his quality several times over with some great Blazers teams. If only those dominant years could have been in Raptors purple…