Greatest unsung hero in every NBA team’s history

Toronto Raptors: Jose Calderon

While Chris Bosh stood out as the superstar on those mid-2000s Raptors teams, Toronto also had a pretty good point guard in Jose Calderon. He wasn’t an elite scorer, but he was very efficient and was a wizard with the basketball in his hands.

The Spanish import reached the peak of his powers during the 2007-08 season, when he led the team in with 10.2 win shares. He averaged 11.2 points that season, but he also dropped 8.3 dimes, while turning the ball over only 1.5 times per game. To be fair, Bosh probably would have had the most win shares on the team if he played more than 67 games.

Calderon’s most impressive feat that season aside from his insane assist-to-turnover ratio was the .519/.429/.908 shooting line he posted. He didn’t shoot enough free throws to have his 50-40-90 season officially recognized, but it was still pretty amazing.

Calderon spent eight seasons in Toronto overall, averaging 10.0 points and 7.2 assists per game during that span. He was a good playmaker, but his inability to defend at even a respectable level kept him from reaching the upper tier of the league’s point guards.

He bounced around a lot after leaving Toronto, but on occassion, he would flash those preternatural passing skills. If nothing else, he can enjoy being a benchwarmer knowing that he is financially secure.