Heading into this season, there were reasonably high expectations for the Toronto Raptors to continue as one of the premier franchises in the NBA.
And then the season actually started, and those expectations were thwarted by the harsh reality of results that now see Toronto playing catch-up with a 3-8 record.
While the team as a whole hasn’t met those initial forecasts yet, there’s at least one player who was predicted for a breakout and looks to be not only fulfilling the expectations cast upon him this season, but exceeding them.
Montreal native Chris Boucher entered this season knowing that there would be greater opportunity with the departures of Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka, and so far he’s played like a player looking to make the most of this chance.
Through Toronto’s first 11 games, Boucher is averaging 15.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and is among the NBA’s top shot-blockers this season, turning aside 2.5 shots per game. Additionally, he’s shot the ball remarkably well, connecting on 58.8 per cent of his attempts from the floor and a ridiculous 47.5 per cent from three-point range (on 3.6 attempts from that range per contest).
And over his last four games, Boucher has been even better, averaging 20.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists with volcanic shooting percentages of 65.2 per cent from the field and 57.9 per cent from deep (on 4.8 attempts).
Eye-popping numbers like that are going to make just about everyone give pause. Particularly because, when you think about Boucher’s career arc up until now -- and his more erratic nature due to some of the questionable shots he likes to take -- a regression is bound to come.
Or at least, that’s what conventional thinking would have you believe.
Looking more optimistically, however, sure there’s bound to be some drop-off but will there really be that much?
With his size, athleticism and unique skills combined now with more consistent minutes, it’s possible that the Boucher we're seeing is really, actually the Boucher who we’ll see all season long -- and there’s plenty of room for even more improvement along the way.
“There's a lot of basketball still for him to be able to continue to grow,” said Fred VanVleet after Raptors practice Friday. “There's a lot of team stuff, like, remembering plays and being in the right spots defensively.
“He's still kinda playing off of his talent and his incredible God-given abilities that he has. There's still another level he can jump to. He's been making strides. I think I saw early in training camp, him coming in, me and Nick laughed one day, he was the one telling all the other new guys what to do, and we just had to laugh to ourselves, that was kinda scary.
“But he's come a long way and we're gonna need him to continue to keep producing at the level he's been at. But so far he's been great for us.”
Added Boucher about how he might continue to grow this season after Toronto’s 111-108 victory over the Charlotte Hornets Thursday night: “I think it’s getting there, just figuring out the shots I can take. When to roll, when to pop, the defensive schemes, being able to switch sometimes.
“It’s all about reps. The more reps I get, the better it gets. I’ve still got a long way to go, but it’s getting better every game. I’m definitely happy with the process. It’s been a long one. It’s my third year now, so it’s been a long time learning the schemes and figuring out ways to help the team. It’s gonna get better.”
This maturation process, as Boucher alluded to, has taken longer than many would like in the impatient NBA, but it looks like it’s starting to pay dividends for the Raptors.
In those last four games where Boucher has exploded, Toronto is 2-2 and own a positive net rating of plus-5.6.
Of course, this isn’t all because of the Canadian’s play. But he’s been a significant part of it and, according to VanVleet, seeing him really start to figure out the game and what he can do within it has been a true joy to watch.
“That's the fun part, man,” the Raptors guard said of watching Boucher beginning to blossom. “That's the purest part of this game is to take a guy like Chris who's had the journey that he's had to get to this point and something that we knew -- at least me, I kinda knew it from the day I saw him -- what he could be and just watching that manifest and watching him take his journey to get to this point here, even just within the last few years.
“It's great, man, and you can't be happier as a teammate, as a brother, as a friend to see him succeed and to see him play at the level that he's been playing at. Obviously, we all wish it was turning into more wins but Chris has been doing his part. He's been carrying his weight. He's been playing great. I'm just super happy for him, I'm proud of him, and we just need him to continue to keep making strides each day.”
It’s pretty safe to say that the better Boucher can become, the better the Raptors can as well -- an odd statement to make when you consider the criticism levied at the Raptors’ front office when they re-signed him for two years at $13.5 million this past off-season.
A deal that may have initially been seen as a slight overpay now might be looking like a bargain for Toronto, particularly because all the numbers Boucher is putting up are coming off the bench, leading to a legitimate question: what if he was given the starting centre role?
On one hand it’s understandable why Raptors coach Nick Nurse might want to keep Boucher as a bench piece as he’s just about the only productive member of Toronto’s reserves offensively at the moment. But on the flip side, when you see per-36-minute averages of 24.1 points 10.3 rebounds and four blocks, you have to wonder if Boucher wouldn’t just be better off starting and playing those heavier minutes.
He’s already, essentially, Toronto’s primary centre, having logged more floor time than both Aron Baynes and Alex Len combined, and has recently been trusted to start the second half of games.
It’s a decision that Nurse has been asked ad nauseum for a little while now, and likely won’t stop as the in-game decisions he makes with Boucher’s usage indicates he’s pondered this very question.
No matter what happens, however, Boucher said he’ll take on any role as he doesn’t really care if he starts or not.
“I feel like at the end of the day my role is still the same, starting, not starting,” said Boucher. “I think they pretty much see what I do: Bring energy to the game, play defence, shot-blocking, run the floor and hit threes when I’m open. Starting or not starting, this is my role. I’m good with the way I am. I’m good with the position I’m in.”
At the moment it really doesn’t appear to matter if Boucher starts or not. After all, even though he’s coming off the bench he’s still enjoying the kind of breakout season everyone wanted for him and because of this it feels like he’ll be able to help his team meet the lofty expectations that were cast on it to begin the year as well.
