Who Belongs on the Raptors Mount Rushmore?
Simple enough!
Spot 1: Kawhi Leonard
He's not in the Raptors top-50 in just about any statistical category, yet he's comfortably the best Raptor of all time. You talk about batting 1.000 for a franchise. Kawhi came, saw, conquered, and fled. And every Raptors fan wouldn't trade it for the world.
Spot 2: Kyle Lowry
He's as much a lock here as Kawhi is. He's the Raptors all-time leader in three-pointers made & attempted, assists and steals. But it's not just counting numbers with Lowry. He leads in win shares (both offensive and defensive) and the almighty VORP! He's not number one in a lot of the counting numbers yet but he will be soon. He's top-five currently in games, minutes, field goals made & attempted, and PER. Six All-Star teams and a Third Team All-NBA. Lest we forget, he kicked the Warriors ass in the Game 6 clincher last Finals:
Lowry had the Raptors first 11 points and finished the first quarter with 21. He wasn't going to let them lose that game, even on the road. I don't know if Lowry retires as a Raptor, but I bet he retires as Mr. Raptor. That was my Rick Reilly sign off did you like it?
Spot 3: Demar DeRozan
DeRozan is the all-time leader in the following categories for the Raptors: games, minutes, field goals made & attempted, free throws made & attempted, and points. He's top five in rebounds, assists and steals as well. He's not the third-best player the Raptors have ever had but he's probably the third most important and thus deserves to be here. If the counting numbers and accolades (4x All-Star, 2x All-NBA) don't impress you, he was a good enough asset to get the guy in the number one spot here. That alone should get him a mention on the plaque right in front of the Kawhi statue that they'll put outside the Raptors arena some time in the future.
Spot 4: Chris Bosh
The last spot comes down to two people. Pascal Siakam will be here one day. Damon Stoudamire and Tracy McGrady only played three seasons here but can't play the championship card like Kawhi. It has to be Bosh vs. VC. TALE OF THE TAPE TIME!!!
Vince Carter: 6.5 seasons as a Raptor, averaged a 23/5/4 on 45/49/79 shooting. 6 All-Star teams, two All-NBA teams. Averaged a 26/6/5 on 42/37/81 shooting in 15 postseason games. Quit on the organization.
Chris Bosh: 7 seasons as a Raptor, averaged a 20/9/2 on 49% FG shooting/80% FT. 5 All-Star teams, one All-NBA team. Averaged a 21/9/3 on 43% FG shooting/81% FT shooting. Left the organization, but did not quit on the organization.
It's as simple as that.
Kawhi Leonard-Kyle Lowry-Demar DeRozan- Chris Bosh