As the Toronto Raptors prepare for yet another postseason run, the NCAA Tournament will conclude as the 2022 Final Four gets underway. The semifinal matchup in which Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski will take on the North Carolina Tar Heels for the final time is without question the most hyped game of the season.
The Raptors have frequently pilfered top talent from both of those programs. With one of their best players on the 2021-22 squad a former Blue Devil and one of the top three greatest players in franchise history a proud Tar Heel, both teams have sent their best prospects to Toronto.
While Toronto often chooses to use unconventional scouting methods to identify top talent, Masai Ujiri and those who came before him have frequently been seduced by the allure of the Tobacco Road rivalry. Alums of those two schools are all over the record books.
While we might not know who every player on the Raptors thinks will win it all this year, we can certainly know the rooting interests of these five players. Time will tell which alums get to celebrate and which have to endure some barbs from their most hated rivals.
5 Toronto Raptors who went to North Carolina or Duke
5. Ed Davis (North Carolina)
While UNC struggled mightily in Davis’ second season with the team, he showed enough rebounding and interior defense to warrant being taken 13th overall by the Raptors. While he didn’t have the longest career north of the border, he carved out a very respectable tenure in the NBA.
Davis, who has played for seven teams in his 12-year career, has averaged 6.0 points and 6.4 rebounds per game throughout his career. Davis averaged 7.7 points and 6.8 rebounds in 2.5 seasons with the Raptors before being traded to Memphis for Rudy Gay.
Ed Davis went from North Carolina to the Toronto Raptors.
What doomed Davis was a lack of offensive wizardry. Outside of dunking the ball and some timely baby hooks, he never became a dominant scorer. After his trade to Memphis, he was relegated to backup high-energy big man roles for the majority of his career.
Davis was never the game-changer that many expected he would be when he was taken that high, but there’s nothing wrong with having a journeyman career that features stops on several different postseason teams. That veteran presence is hard to come by.
4. Rodney Hood (Duke)
Admit it, some of you forgot Hood even played for the Raptors. Acquired in the same deal that brought a second Duke alum to Toronto, Hood averaged just 3.9 points per game on 36% shooting during his half-season with the Raptors. He’s one of just a handful of players to play for the Raptors and never set foot in Toronto.
This is a shame, as his Achilles injuries robbed us of a fantastic scorer. Hood averaged 16.1 points per game at Duke before averaging 12.5 points per game in six years with Utah, Cleveland, and Portland. His injury has sapped him of the athletic ability so many fell in love with.
The Toronto Raptors never got the best out of Rodney Hood.
While Hood eventually signed with Milwaukee and earned himself a trade to the Clippers, the odds of him recapturing his past glory are shrinking with each passing day. Hood is an end-of-the-bench player just a few years removed from being a respectable shooter on playoff teams.
Still, Hood can claim to have been a solid use of a first-round pick before his injuries. A somewhat promising player at Mississippi State before transferring to Duke, Hood stands as one of Coach K’s most recent developmental success stories.
3. Danny Green (North Carolina)
Green only played in Toronto for one season, but he made more memories north of the border than college teammate Tyler Hansbrough did. Green is finally going to receive his championship ring in Toronto after playing an integral role in helping them finally reach the mountaintop.
Green averaged 10.3 points per game while making an absurd 45% of his 3-point attempts during his lone season in Toronto. More than just a throw-in as a result of the Kawhi Leonard trade, Green proved to be a vital 3-and-D asset for a Raptors team that eventually slipped a ring on their finger.
Danny Green played an important role for the Toronto Raptors.
Green has since picked up another ring with the Lakers before earning a spot as a trusted veteran on a contending 76ers team. In a league where shooting and perimeter defense are more valuable than they’ve ever been, it’s no surprise that contenders all around the league have been blowing up his phone.
Green was not as heralded as many top Carolina players, as he had to come into the league as a second round pick and toil at the back end of rosters before he was finally given a chance in San Antonio. That hard work paid off in Toronto, where he received his second of three championship rings.
2. Gary Trent Jr. (Duke)
Trent was acquired from Portland with the thought that the former Blue Devil was going to be the perimeter sniper the Raptors needed. In addition to his scoring exploits, the defensive skill that we’ve seen from him this year has been genuinely jaw-dropping.
Trent is averaging 18.0 points per game while coming in third in the league in steals per game. While he had some success during his freshman year at Duke, even the most optimistic projections didn’t have him becoming this type of player just four seasons into his pro career.
Gary Trent Jr. is a critical part of the Toronto Raptors’ future.
Trent might have been a hyped 5-star recruit that played a vital role in getting the Blue Devils to the Elite Eight, but his lack of defense worried teams to the point where they allowed him to completely fall out of the first round. This helped Portland snatch him up and Toronto pilfer him in the Norman Powell deal.
Trent earned himself a contract worth just under $52 million after just three seasons in the league. That kind of financial commitment shows that the Raptors believe in what he brings to the table. Add Trent to the list of pro players Krzyzewski has developed.
1. Vince Carter (North Carolina)
Carter was traded for teammate Antawn Jamison during the draft, and it turned out to be one of the best trades the Raptors ever made. At a time when this brand new franchise needed stability and a star to build around, Carter gave them the first must-watch attraction of the post-Jordan era.
In his 6.5 seasons in Toronto, Carter averaged 23.5 points per game while capturing the imagination of American and Canadian fans thanks to his leaping ability. After a few years of mediocrity, Carter helped prove that an NBA franchise could be successful and bountiful in Canada.
Vince Carter became a star for the Toronto Raptors.
Carter may not have left Toronto on the best of terms, but that doesn’t mean that all of the good he did for this franchise should be completely washed away. That purple No. 15 jersey with the dinosaur on the front remains one of the most instantly recognizable looks in the sport.
Before Carter became an icon in two countries and the first player to guide the Raptors to playoff success, he made his imprint on the UNC-Duke rivalry thanks to an unforgettable career as a Tar Heel. He is still royalty in Chapel Hill.