The Toronto Raptors had their best run in franchise history with Kyle Lowry as their starting point guard. They reached the playoffs seven straight years, including winning their lone championship in 2019. Lowry became an All-Star and legend in Toronto, which made it difficult to see him depart for Miami in 2021.
The sign-and-trade came at the right time for the Raptors. They got Lowry’s prime years and dealt him before the decline fully kicked in. It was still a heart-wrenching decision for a player that meant so much to the organization.
The Raptors won 50-plus games five times and reached new heights with Lowry running the offense, but that did not stop Toronto from making some regrettable decisions. They built a strong roster, but plenty of underperforming players cracked the rotation and even the starting five during his nine years with the team. With the criteria of having at least 20 starts to eliminate players with a one-off appearance, who did not cut it as a starter next to Lowry?
Ranking worst Toronto Raptors starters of the Kyle Lowry era
7. Luis Scola
The Raptors signed the veteran to a one-year deal in 2015. Scola did not come to the NBA until he was 27 and did not arrive in Toronto until after his 35th birthday. The 6’9 forward was past his prime and signed as a backup, but he seized the starting job during training camp. His leadership and versatility stood out, and the veteran ran with the opportunity.
Scola started all 76 games he played during the regular season but wore down as the year progressed. He averaged 8.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 0.9 assists in 21.5 minutes per game. The 6’9 forward connected on over 40 percent of his threes, but things went from bad to worse in the playoffs.
Scola did not have the foot speed to defend on the perimeter, which was quickly exposed. He started the first four games against the Pacers before being benched. The 36-year-old missed the entire second-round series against the Heat save for five minutes in Game 3 before returning for the conference finals. Scola couldn’t guard Kevin Love, which limited him to just 13.3 minutes per game in the series.
Luis Scola brought leadership and a veteran presence that helped the Toronto Raptors reach the conference finals for the first time in franchise history, but his on-court play late in the season made him one of the worst starters of the Kyle Lowry era.
6. DeMarre Carroll
Signing Carroll was a rare miss by Masai Ujiri. The 6’6 wing helped the Hawks reach the conference finals in 2015 and entered free agency at the near-perfect time. The salary cap was rapidly climbing, and Toronto was eager to improve after back-to-back first-round playoff exits. It resulted in a four-year $60 million contract that quickly became one of the worst signings in franchise history.
Carroll struggled to hit shots, but his counting stats were strong in his first year with Toronto. He suffered multiple injuries, which limited him to just 26 games. The 6’6 wing returned for the playoffs and helped the Raptors reach the conference finals, but his production dipped as he shot 39.0 percent from the field in the postseason.
Things got worse in year two as his 3-point percentage dipped below league average for the first time in four years. His tenure turned into a disaster, and the Raptors traded him with two first-round picks to the Nets in the 2017 offseason.
To make matters worse, DeMarre Carroll bounced back in Brooklyn and helped the Nets return to the playoffs in 2019, which was the precursor to getting Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in free agency. The Toronto Raptors would love a do-over on the Carroll signing, but he was not the worst starter of the Kyle Lowry era.
5. Greivis Vasquez
Vasquez was acquired from the Kings in December 2013 as part of the trade that ended Rudy Gay’s inefficient tenure in Toronto. Most thought it would be the Raptors taking a step back. They were 7-12 when the deal happened and had lost five of their last six games. Instead, they finished with 48 victories and third in the Eastern Conference standings.
Vasquez fit nicely backing up Kyle Lowry. He served as a secondary creator or spot-up shooter when they shared the floor and ran the second unit. The Raptors made the playoffs for the first time in six years, and Vasquez earned a new deal in free agency.
The 6’6 guard got a two-year contract worth $13 million that made him the 103rd highest-paid player in the NBA. It was starter’s money and tripled his salary. Vasquez only opened 29 games the following season and averaged 24.5 minutes per game as he was wildly inconsistent. His defense was subpar and his inefficiency left him with 0.066 win shares per 48 minutes with 0.100 being the league average.
The Toronto Raptors were lucky the Bucks were willing to vastly overpay for the point guard on the 2015 draft night. They got a second-round pick, which turned into Norman Powell, and a 2017 first-rounder in the deal.
That softened the blow, but Greivis Vasquez’s time in Toronto was head-scratching. He never worked as a starter next to Kyle Lowry, which meant the Raptors vastly overpaid in free agency.
4. Cory Joseph
Joseph mostly backed up Kyle Lowry during his two years in Toronto, but a wrist injury that required surgery cost the six-time All-Star 21 games in the 2016-17 season. It opened the door for Joseph to start, and he ran with it. The 6’3 guard averaged 11.2 points, 5.0 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.0 steal in 32.2 minutes per game. Strong numbers for a fill-in starter, but his upside was capped.
Fred VanVleet was a rookie and quickly proved worthy of minutes, but Toronto had zero available. Joseph was a steady reserve making $7.0 million per season. FVV offered some savings and upside as the backup point guard.
The Raptors traded Cory Joseph to the Pacers for virtually zero return. He loved playing for his hometown team, but there was just no room. Kyle Lowry was an All-Star, and Fred VanVleet had that potential if developed properly.
Cory Joseph filled in fine as a starter, and the Toronto Raptors won three playoff series in his two years with the team. The hometown point guard was always part of the rotation, but he left plenty to be desired. Joseph competes hard but has bounced around the league since leaving Toronto. The 6’3 guard is overmatched as a starter.
3. James Johnson
Johnson had two separate stints with the Raptors. Toronto traded a first-round draft pick for him in 2011, despite winning just 22 games. They got a productive season and a half out before trading him to Sacramento in the 2012 offseason. After two seasons away from the Raptors, Johnson returned as a free agent in the summer of 2014. This was his stint with Kyle Lowry, and it did not go as planned.
Johnson started 49 games over the two seasons, but his playing time decreased in the playoffs and his counting stats left plenty to be desired. The 6’7 forward averaged 6.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 0.8 blocks in 18.1 minutes per game.
James Johnson should have been in the middle of his prime. He was 27 years old when he signed with the Toronto Raptors in 2014 and turned 29 during his second campaign. Instead, they got little help from the 6’7 forward, despite reaching the conference finals in 2016.
It was disappointing, and things got worse when he joined the Miami Heat in free agency in 2016 and immediately had the two best seasons of his career. Johnson struggled to find his role and place in his second stint in Toronto. It put him on the fringes of their playoff rotation and made him one of the worst starters of the Kyle Lowry era.
2. Aron Baynes
Baynes did not come to the NBA until he was 26 years old but had four years of professional experience playing in Europe after his college career. Technically, he never landed in Toronto. Baynes signed a contract with the Raptors in 2020, but the pandemic prevented them from playing in Canada. They had a makeshift home in Tampa, Florida for the season.
It would be Kyle Lowry’s ninth and final year with the team and a massive disappointment. The Raptors won just 27 games and snapped their streak of seven consecutive seasons reaching the playoffs. It was their lowest win total since 2012 and the eighth-lowest winning percentage in franchise history.
Baynes got a career-high $7 million for the 2020-21 season, but the 34-year-old did not provide a massive boost. He was coming off a career year in Phoenix, but it proved unsustainable as his minutes and production dipped in Tampa. Baynes averaged 6.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 0.9 assists in 18.5 minutes per game in what would turn into his final NBA season.
The 6’10 big man suffered a scary injury at the Tokyo Olympics that left him unable to walk for weeks. Baynes recovered and is back playing basketball in his native Australia, but the 36-year-old had a rough stint with the Raptors that likely closed his NBA career.
1. Landry Fields
Fields was a second-round pick in 2010 that instantly jumped into the Knicks rotation. After two years as a role player in New York, he became a restricted free agent. The Raptors were coming off back-to-back seasons with fewer than 25 wins and desperately needed shooting. They signed Fields to a three-year $18.8 million offer sheet, but it quickly turned into one of the worst contracts in franchise history (subscription required).
Fields completely fell apart in Toronto. He opened the season as a starter, but could never find his footing. A mysterious nerve injury that the now-Hawks general manager still deals with ruined his jumper and kept him off the floor. Fields averaged 4.7 points and 4.3 rebounds in 20.3 minutes per game during his first season in Toronto, which was his best year.
Fields played a total of 56 games over the next two seasons. He averaged $11,904 per minute played during his three years in Toronto and retired at 26 years old following the 2015 season. It was a disastrous signing that earned Landry Fields the distinction as the worst starter of the Kyle Lowry era, despite making just 33 for the Raptors.
The Toronto Raptors are at a crossroads but hope to return to the glory of the Lowry era and beyond. Can they do it? Stay tuned to find out.