Raptors' Boucher gets much needed confidence builder
Chris Boucher has not had a lot to smile about lately.
It's been pretty much a constant slog for the Canadian big man since an upbeat training camp with the Toronto Raptors was cut short by a dislocated finger on his non-shooting hand.
Yes, there was that two-year contract this past summer that gave him financial freedom, but individuals who get to this level don't suddenly quit competing once they get their first payday. The competitive fire that got them to this point requires constant feeding and that comes from what happens on the court, not what goes into their bank accounts.
Out of commission for about a month to start the year, Boucher became the forgotten man.
When he did return it was to a team that had been finding its rhythm without him. New players were being worked in and young rookies with plenty of upside were showing they could develop on the fly and not hurt the team in the process.
Suddenly, Boucher's stellar 2020-21 campaign, a year in which everything and everyone but him seemed to go off the rails for the Raptors, was a distant memory.
Boucher's minutes, his opportunity and, most importantly, his confidence, began to suffer.
Thursday night in Philadelphia, Boucher reminded everyone just what they had been missing and started to regain a little of everything that had been missing. He played a personal season-high 24 minutes and put up season highs in points with 17, matched his season high in blocks with two and added six rebounds.
It was the confidence builder Boucher needed and he was well aware of it.
“It felt good,” Boucher said. “I feel like I've been searching to get that feeling again, feeling like you're doing the right thing and in the right spot. I've been missing that feeling.
“It felt good to get it back (Thursday),” he said. “I'm not satisfied. These 10 games (before Thursday night) I played like I couldn't play or wasn't the player I'm supposed to (be). Step by step, but I'm definitely happy about (Thursday night) and I'm going to keep getting better at it.”
Head coach Nick Nurse sounded like a man rededicated to finding his breakthrough player from just a season ago and giving him meaningful minutes going forward.
“We've got enough evidence or data on him to know what he's capable of to keep rolling him back out there and not say we've got to go somewhere else,” Nurse said after Thursday's game. “So it was nice to get some. You know, we believe in him and we keep telling him that, and he produced tonight.”
The challenge for Nurse now, if Boucher continues to move back to being the player he was a year ago, is to find some consistent minutes for a guy who brings a little of everything this team could use, from rim protection to outside shooting to second-chance opportunities.
With Pascal Siakam back in the fold — although he sat out Thursday's game, with it coming on the back end of a back to back — Nurse has been going small without a true centre in the starting five, meaning both Khem Birch, who should be back on Saturday, and Precious Achiuwa have been coming off the bench.
The team is clearly dedicated to developing Achiuwa, so he's going to play, and Birch has been the team's most effective big man, whether that's setting screens, anchoring the defence or just about any other measure short of actual scoring.
Where and how many minutes that leaves for Boucher is the quandary. But it's clear Boucher's push is only just getting started.
“If there's one thing I've learned to this tough stretch, it is you can't cheat the game,” Boucher said. “You can't just feel like you can come in a game and just do whatever you want. At the end of the day, I came back from injury and this is what I needed to realize. It takes time, and you know, it's a new team, it's got new players, it's a new position and this is what I really needed to understand.
“Like I said, it took more time than I would want and probably more than everybody wanted, too, but eventually I'll get there and … it's a good step for me and obviously I'm planning on getting better every game so people can see what I can do and what I've been doing.”
One way or another, these things tend to get figured out. Too many deserving bodies for too few positions is one of those nice problems to have.