Jose Calderon played 8 seasons with Toronto, landing in their top five APG leaders for 3 of those seasons.
The Raptors entered the NBA in 1996 and have since been home to All-Stars like Vince Carter, Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, and several more. However, surprisingly, none of them will make this list of top single-season assist performances in team history.
So, let’s take a look at who did, by counting down the five best single-season per-game assists performances in Raptors history.
Damon Stoudamire – 1996, 9.3 APG
Stoudamire was Toronto’s first-round selection in their inaugural NBA Draft in ‘96, marking him as arguably the first face of the franchise. He excelled in his rookie campaign, tallying what would end up as a career high with 9.3 assists. He also averaged 19.0 PPG and won the league’s Rookie of the Year voting in a landslide. However, his time in Toronto would be limited, and he’d ultimately be traded to Portland a year and a half later.
Mark Jackson, 2001, 9.2 APG
Jackson dominated assist columns throughout his 17-year NBA career. He only spent part of on season in Toronto, but he thrived while doing so. His 9.2 dimes were the fifth-highest mark of his career, which totaled a robust 10,334 assists, good for sixth all-time. During the 2001 trade deadline, Jackson was moved to the Knicks, where he had spent the first five years of his career.
Jose Calderon, 2009, 8.9 APG
Calderon spent 14 seasons in the NBA, coming over from Spain at age 24 to operate as the Raptors’ backup point guard. However, the creative playmaker would earn himself a larger role with time, taking over as the team’s predominant starter at the point in 2008, then flourishing in 2009, when he recorded 8.9 assists per game. He would also average what would remain a career high 12.8 points per game this season, while leading the league by canning 98.1% of his free throw attempts.
Jose Calderon, 2011, 8.9 APG
Two years later, Calderon would match his 2009 numbers, dishing out 8.9 assists per game, tying what was a career high. That mark was good enough for fifth best in the Association. He’d round out his numbers by scoring 9.8 points per game, grabbing 3.0 rebounds, and adding 1.2 steals.
Jose Calderon, 2012, 8.8 APG
Calderon would follow up his 2011 campaign with another stellar season, dishing out 8.8 assists per game. The Spaniard’s ability to make plays, while taking care of the ball, continued. Regularly posting a 4:1 assist-to-turnover ratio, or better, throughout his career. He did so again here, averaging just 2.0 TOs per game. His scoring would also return to the double digits, pouring in 10.5 PPG on 45.7/37.1/88.2 shooting splits.
