Yes, we know that this is taking a while!
As many of you know, we at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the top 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists and consistently look to update them when necessary and based on necessity. As such, we are delighted to present our post-2023-24 revision of our top 50 Toronto Raptors.
As for all of our top 50 players in basketball, we look at the following:
1. Advanced Statistics.
2. Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National Basketball Association.
3. Playoff accomplishments.
4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles that are not reflected in a stat sheet.
Last year, the Raptors went all out, as in jettisoning all players out. That was an exaggeration, but beyond Scottie Barnes, there were not many reasons to watch a Toronto game. Nevertheless, there were a few elevations.
As always, we present our top five, which saw no changes:
1. Kyle Lowry
2. Chris Bosh
3. Vince Carter
4. DeMar DeRozan
5. Pascal Siakam
You can find the entire list here.
Pascal Siakam was unable to climb up from #5 before he was traded to the Indiana Pacers.
O.G. Anunoby, who was traded to the New York Knicks during the season, went up one spot to #13.
Former Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes climbed to #17 from #26.
Jakob Poeltl went from #31 to #25.
Gary Trent Jr, who is now with Milwaukee, reached #30 from #33.
We thank you for your continued support of our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.
Yes, we know that this is taking a while!
As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity. As such, we are very happy to present our post 2022/23 revision of our top 50 Toronto Raptors.
As for all of our top 50 players in basketball we look at the following:
1. Advanced Statistics.
2. Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National Basketball Association.
3. Playoff accomplishments.
4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.
Last year, Toronto only made it to the play-in round, but when you have a franchise this young, you will see fluctuation in a top 50, even in a mediocre year.
As always, we present our top five, which saw a new number five:
1. Kyle Lowry
2. Chris Bosh
3. Vince Carter
You can find the entire list here.
Siakam continues his climb, and has done enough to breach the top five.
Fred VanVleet, who is now with the Houston Rockets, climbed to #8 from #12.
Shooting Guard, O.G. Anunoby moved up to #14 from #20.
Former Rookie of the Year, Scottie Barnes, advanced ten spots to #26.
Center, Jakob Poeltl, who returned last year, shot up nine spots to #31. This jump, despite only 24 more Games was a testament to Poeltl’s efficiency and Toronto’s overall brevity in length.
The lone new entry was Gary Trent, who debuts at #33.
We welcome your input and comments and as always, we thank you for your support.
From Vienna, Jakob Poeltl played in the Austrian League for two years before going to Utah, where in 2016, he won the Pac-12 Player of the Year. The Raptors used their First Round Pick (9th Overall) to take the Center, and he would play his first two seasons in the North.
Poeltl averaged a little over 11 minutes per game as a rookie in the 54 Games he played for the Raptors, which may not seem like much, but it was clear from the start that he was a defensive asset. In his sophomore season, Poeltl played in all 82 Games, the only Raptor to do so, though he did so from the bench. Averaging 18.6 Minutes, Poeltl averaged 1.2 Blocks per Game and was 15th Overall in Blocks.
Poeltl was showing his effectiveness, but he was thrown in on the deal that traded DeMar DeRozan for Kawhi Leonard. The Raptors ever forgot Poeltl, and traded for him during his 2022-23 season where he continued his quiet production, but now as a starting Center.