7 Stars the Toronto Raptors missed drafting by a single pick

2005 - Drafted Joey Graham, one pick before Danny Granger

One year prior to the Bargnani debacle, the Toronto Raptors went into the draft with the 7th, 16th and 41st picks, giving them an opportunity to rebuild the talent of the roster. With the seventh pick they chose UConn forward Charlie Villanueva, a fine selection given the options in play who spent 11 seasons in the NBA.

With the 16th pick, however, the Raptors took Oklahoma State forward Joey Graham. He was supposed to be a positive defender and rebounder, but what he ultimately was on the basketball court was an offensive zero, someone who never averaged more than 7.7 points in a single game. Despite shooting 81.5 percent from the line in his career he never expanded his range outside of the 3-point arc, and his rebounding was meager at best. He made it to 377 career games but never made much of an impact.

After the Raptors too Graham, the Indiana Pacers drafted New Mexico wing Danny Granger, who would make an All-Star appearance during his career and play on a number of successful Indiana teams. He had a smooth shooting stroke, money from beyond the arc and the midrange, and put up big numbers for the Pacers before injuries shortened his career.

The worst part of the situation was that the Raptors had that second pick because of the Vince Carter trade, when their franchise superstar forced his way to another team and sent them spiraling into the wilderness. To have a paltry return for Carter and turn that into a complete whiff is a painful reality for the Raptors.