Vince Carter takes three of the five top spots for in points per game for a single season.
The Toronto Raptors franchise was established in 1995. Despite their short time in the NBA, they have had no shortage of productive scorers play for the team. Let’s highlight their top-five leaders in points per game for a single season.
Vince Carter – 2001, 27.6 PPG
Carter took home the Rookie of the Year award in 1999, averaging 18.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.5 blocks per game. The 2000-01 season saw him average a career high 27.6 points per game. One of the biggest reasons for his increased production was that he averaged 2.2 3-pointers. It ended up being one of only three seasons in his career in which he averaged at least 2.0 three-pointers. Carter also averaged 5.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.1 blocks. That helped him make the All-Star team, be named All-NBA Second Team and finish 11th in MVP voting.
DeMar DeRozan – 2017, 27.3 PPG
The Raptors selected DeRozan with the ninth pick in the 2009 Draft. He averaged at least 20.1 points per game in each of his final five seasons with the team. In 2016-17, he averaged 27.3 points and led the league by averaging 19.2 two-point shot attempts per game. Over 675 career regular season games with the Raptors, DeRozan averaged 19.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists. He also made four All-Star teams.
Kawhi Leonard, 2019, 26.6 PPG
The Raptors landed Leonard in a blockbuster trade with the Spurs. While he only played one season for the Raptors before signing with the Clippers, he made his mark on the franchise. During the 2018-19 regular season, he averaged 26.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.8 steals. He made the All-Star team, was named All-NBA Second Team, finished sixth in Defensive Player of the Year voting and ninth in MVP voting. He would go on to help the Raptors win a championship while being named Finals MVP.
Vince Carter, 2000, 25.7 ppg
In his second season in the NBA, Carter took a significant leap by averaging 25.7 points per game. He increased his usage rate to 30.0%, which was up from 25.6% during his rookie season. He was also more efficient from behind the arc, shooting 40.3% on his 3-point attempts. In his rookie season, he only shot 28.8% from deep. Carter also continued to contribute in other departments, providing 5.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. He made the All-Star team, was named All-NBA Third Team and finished 10th in MVP voting.
Vince Carter, 2002, 24.7 ppg
Carter was named an All-Star again in 2001-02. He finished with averages of 24.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.6 steals. Carter played two more full seasons with the Raptors, then was traded to the Nets during the 2004-05 campaign. Across 403 regular season games with the Raptors, Carter averaged 23.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.0 blocks and 1.4 3-pointers.
