Appreciating Chris Boucher

Boucher has had his ups and downs, but his effort has always been great

Going from Nick Nurse’s dog house to Darko Rajakovic’s dog house was a full circle moment for Chris Boucher.

Not for the first time, a coach was clear about their demands of a player and Boucher wasn’t going to find his way onto the court. Boucher later credited Nurse for that tough love approach as it helped him ask and answer some tough questions of himself, ultimately earning a three-year, $35.2M contract, the largest of his career.

With one year remaining on his contract after this season and the Raptors diving head first in a direction that Boucher doesn’t appear to fit, there’s plenty of uncertainty over his status with the Raptors this summer.

What is certain is that Boucher has established himself as a certified member of the Dog Pound, affectionately created by Jerome Williams a.k.a. the Junkyard Dog. Boucher looked in the mirror in his toughest moment and recognized what he is as a player and what he can be in the NBA, an exceptional athlete who can make up for his lack of bulk with pure tenacity and heart.

If Boucher has played his last game of the 2023-24 season due to a sprained MCL in his right knee, and perhaps even his final game as a member of the Toronto Raptors, part of coming full circle was being on the outside looking in for minutes but finding his way back. The games against Portland and Phoenix after spending a month out of the rotation could be a fitting bookend.

In both games, Boucher checked in with the Raptors off to terrible first quarter starts. Entering each game after about eight minutes, the Raptors trailed 22-8 against the Blazers and 28-18 against the Suns. That’s a combined 24-point deficit, largely due to a lack of commitment and intensity on the defensive side of the ball.

Against Phoenix, in literally his first defensive possession, Boucher was able to deter a Grayson Allen rim attempt before getting across to contest an Eric Gordon corner three in a controlled manner. That’s not a sight you see often, as Boucher’s fly by contest is vintage.

As the game progressed, Boucher continued to protect the rim and provide a much needed boost on the defensive glass, showed strong chemistry with Immanuel Quickley in screening actions, and added some extra possessions on the offensive end courtesy five offensive rebounds. When asked about the benefits of playing with Boucher, Quickley had this to say:

“Just the energy he plays with, 6’10”, 6’11”, he’s a lob threat, can guard one through five, so, he’s a talented basketball player. Whatever he does on the floor, aside from that, him being him is a talented basketball player. Then, you put energy and effort and a motor on top of all the physical tools he has, that makes a special player. Really proud of the way he played today.”

The game against Portland sang a similar tune in terms of Boucher’s energy lifting the team, and he added some theatre, too. Boucher made four field goals including two threes and a huge tip-in just before the final buzzer to force overtime. That he sprained the MCL in his right knee on this play and still soldiered on to play the extra five minute period is a testament to his toughness and perseverance.

I’ve maintained over the course of the season, and especially as the number of veteran leaders on the team dwindled, that Boucher’s example of hustle, heart, and professionalism has its place on this roster. To be out of the rotation for as long as he was and come back and play the way he did, I hope the young players on this team took note of the way Boucher carried himself throughout the team’s transition that steadily diminished his value and kept him on the periphery for playing time.

On the subject of minutes, I did find it interesting that — outside of the direction of the team and prioritizing the younger players — Darko Rajakovic also noted that part of why Boucher wasn’t getting minutes was because he views Boucher exclusively as a centre. As a result, while Jakob Poeltl and Kelly Olynyk were healthy, there just wasn’t room for him. Over the course of Boucher’s time with the Raptors, we’ve seen him play both the five and the four, and even the three in a pinch.

While praising Boucher’s play, Rajakovic also seemed to suggest that the seven-year veteran doesn’t communicate on the defensive end as much as that tenure would suggest and that he can lose track of the defensive scheme that’s being run. Couple that with Boucher being viewed as a five-man by Rajakovic — one that isn’t known for his passing, unlike Poeltl and Olynyk — and the reasons become clearer as to why Boucher didn’t figure into the rotation.

Whether one agrees with that decision or not, it is an encouraging sign when a rookie NBA head coach is clear about his principles, style of play, and who fits into it and who doesn’t. Boucher was left to bite the bullet, but that didn’t leave him hanging his head.

Boucher has had some tremendous moments as a Raptor. He is the lone piece remaining from the championship roster even if he didn’t figure into that rotation. He had some excellent moments during Toronto’s victory lap season, most notably in the 30-point comeback at home against the Dallas Mavericks. His career-best regular season game came against the Chicago Bulls in April 2021 in Tampa, a monster 38-point, 19-rebound effort.

I will fondly remember his first half against the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 6 of the first round in 2022. It ended in a blowout, but Boucher was tremendous in the first half with 19 points and nine rebounds to keep the Raptors in it and trailing by just one. It’s the most impactful he’s ever been in a playoff environment. Here’s hoping he gets that chance again.

7 DAYS

I’m going to add this segment to the piece moving forward for the rest of the season. While the bulk of these posts are going to feature a big picture topic, I still want to quickly recap the week for those who may have missed out.

Toronto went 0-3 against the Nuggets, Pistons, and Magic, strengthening its claim to the sixth-best lottery odds this summer. The Raptors and Grizzlies are now tied in the standings at 23-44, but Desmond Bane is expected to make a return to the Memphis lineup Saturday after missing a total of 30 games this season. As far as the fifth-best odds are concerned, Toronto trails Portland in the loss column by three games with 15 to play.

Gradey Dick has started the last four games, averaging 10.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists while shooting 5-of-20 from three. We are in lessons season so the most important thing here is that Dick is getting his feet wet in terms of what NBA starting unit competition looks like and what it is to have that type of minutes load. For some persective, he’s played 130 minutes in these four games after playing 135 minutes across all of December and January.

Finally, RJ Barrett sadly lost his younger brother Nathan on Tuesday. Sportsnet’s Michael Grange wrote about the devastation the Barrett family is feeling and I strongly encourage that you read it.

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P.S. I would be happy to add a segment where I answer questions that you might have, so feel free to comment below on anything you may be curious about!