3 underrated early 2000s Toronto Raptors you forgot about
By Jason Mills
2. Jerome Williams
The second big deal Grunwald completed before the trade deadline in 2001 was acquiring Williams and Eric Montross from Detroit. At a time when it was commonplace for players to reject the idea of coming to Toronto, Williams endeared himself to the Raptors faithful forever before playing a minute.
When he did step on the floor in a Raptors’ uniform, the 6-9 forward was a hustler chasing every loose ball and hitting the backboards every possession. What he lacked in on-ball skill, he made up for it in maximum effort. Williams averaged 7.9 points and 7.0 rebounds per game during his Raptors tenure.
Toronto Raptors: Jerome Williams was consistently productive.
Williams had a talent for getting the home crowd amped up whenever he would make one of his trademark timely turnovers. Williams was the conduit to unlocking their ability to spark the team’s effort on the court, and his style of play contributed to some winning basketball.
Williams’ best season in Toronto was 2002-03, when he averaged 9.7 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. He would spend parts of four seasons in Toronto before getting traded to Chicago.
Like Clark, Williams did not have an overly long career, nor did he spend a great deal of time in Toronto. For those who remember what he brought to the table, he stands out as a player that even the gruffest and most short-tempered coach would love to have on their team.