Raptors All-Time All-Lefty Team

In keeping with Marc Stein's annual all-lefty team, here's a Raptors version

One of my favourite, fun columns that I look forward to every year is Marc Stein’s All-Lefty Team.

I won’t say I’m quite the lefty aficionado that he is but there is something uniquely captivating about quality left-handers across all the sports I follow (basketball, soccer, tennis, cricket). Manu Ginobili is probably one of my favourite basketball players to ever watch.

This year, Stein named Jalen Brunson, James Harden, Julius Randle, Zion Williamson, and Domantas Sabonis as his 2023-24 starting five with Brandon Podziemski as the sixth man. The spacing is far from ideal but, individually, those are some fun names.

Toronto obviously doesn’t have enough lefties to do an annual team but I thought I’d do some digging and see what a Raptors all-time lefty squad would look like. Here’s what I’ve come up with:

PG - Damon Stoudamire

Mighty Mouse played 200 games as a Raptor, averaging 19.6 points, 8.8 assists, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.5 steals while shooting 36 percent from three. The 1995-96 Rookie of the Year is an easy pick at point guard.

It will be fun to see how he gets honoured as part of the Raptors’ 30-year anniversary celebration.

SG - RJ Barrett

Too soon? In 32 games as a Raptor, Barrett averages 21.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and shoots 60.5% on twos as well as 39.2% on threes. His transformation as a player compared to who we saw in New York has been a breath of fresh air and one of the few bright spots in a tumultous 2023-24 campaign for the organizationas a whole.

While Jalen Rose certainly has longevity on Barrett at this point, this version of Barrett brings more to the table than the Raptors version of Rose… and trust me, I loved me some Captain Crunch (if you know, you know).

SF - Morris Peterson

The king of the circus shot is a pretty straightforward pick. Peterson is third in games played for the franchise (542) behind DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, fourth in total minutes (16,059), and third in three-pointers made (801).

Posting the miracle shot against the Wizards is too easy so here’s something a little different:

He was also usually tasked with the most difficult wing assignment on the defensive end and that’s desperately needed with Stoudamire and Barrett next to him.

PF - Chris Bosh

Easily the best lefty in franchise history, there is not even close to a debate about who occupies this position. Bosh’s years were the core years of my fandom and it remains puzzling that he gets such an unfair shake from sections of the fan base.

Bosh was a tireless worker and became one of the best power forwards in the league in an era that included Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, and Dirk Nowitzki. The best player he ever got to play with performance-wise was Jose Calderon and the biggest name was a past-his-prime Jermaine O’Neal. It should surprise no one that he was happy to join the Miami Heat.

The Texas native averaged 20.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.2 blocks in 509 games as a Raptor. He was an all-star for five straight seasons as a Raptor before departing and we’ll always have the all-star commercial.

C - Keon Clark

It was a good time, not a long time. Keon Clark averaged 10.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks in 127 games as a Raptor. He still holds the record for most blocks in a single game in franchise history with 12 on March 23, 2001 against the Atlanta Hawks.

You can imagine Bosh enjoying playing alongside a big like Clark who’d protect the rim and take a load off as far as defending the strongest centres is concerned.

It’s a pity Clark struggled with alcoholism and other personal problems.

Bench: Jalen Rose, CJ Miles, Thad Young, Ed Davis, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Yuta Watanabe, Aaron Williams.

Honourable Mention: Darrick Martin.

Dishonourable Mention: Goran Dragic.

Ok, now it’s time to talk some Jalen Rose. How different things could’ve been if he didn’t break his hand on Feb. 8, 2004. Well, at least for that season. Toronto was not a fun team to watch considering Kevin O’Neill’s complete disregard for offence, but they were a strangely gritty team that was 24-25 until that fateful night.

Though the Raptors won the next game, they lost nine straight after that and went 9-24 to finish the season. Rose played 177 games as a Raptor, averaging 16.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and was cool as a cucumber in the clutch.

Rose had several clutch regular season moments as a Raptor, none more so than against the Cleveland Cavaliers when LeBron James scored 56 points but Captain Crunch finished with 30 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and three steals to lead Toronto to a win.

It’s kind of neat to think that Rose, Peterson, and Bosh (Hello law firm name) all played together but the memories of the 81-point game (RIP Kobe) may have had some influence in ensuring they all don’t start.

Finally, shoutout to Darrick Martin extending Toronto’s streak of games with a made three-pointer to 628 at the very end of regulation against the Dallas Mavericks back in 2006. He was a good leader for the team while he was around and while there’s a case for him to be the backup point guard on this lefty roster, I’m going to leave those responsibilities for Rose.

Feel free to share your thoughts below!