What's Chris Boucher's Role With Siakim's Return?

[C Court]

Chris Boucher was a pleasant surprise in an otherwise dismal 2020-21 season.

That said, Boucher has been disappointing this season and his shot is a mess. Nurse has publicly spoken about Chris' underwhelming performance so far. Will Lou made some observations about Chris after the Cleveland loss which I think are spot on. He called him a train wreck, which is harsh but accurate.

I liked last year's version of Boucher a lot, but with Siakim back and Watanabe returning soon, where does Boucher fit? Is he a potential trade piece?

Siakam's return will push Chris Boucher out of the rotation entirely. Boucher has been a train wreck all season, making rookie mistakes on defence that even the Raptors' rookies wouldn't do, while also being a non-factor offensively.

Nurse benched Boucher after a disastrous first shift that saw Boucher get outmuscled in the post for an and-one, fail to rotate over at the rim for a layup, brick an open three, fumble a pass out of bounds, while also leaving his feet on a pair of pump fakes that allowed the Cavaliers to score.

Last season, Boucher was a productive player at a position of weakness, who made many of the same mistakes but hit just enough sidespin threes to make it work. Now he's hitting under 20 percent from three, and all that's left are the same unforced errors that would make even the most patient of coaches go bald.

The offence will come around eventually, but he will always be limited by his inability to read the game. Rookies like Barnes and Dalano Banton have more discipline a month into their careers than Boucher who is now in his fourth season with the Raptors.

[Dr Positivity]

He hits the bench until Precious has a bad few games, then he gets a chance

[Madhouse]

bench warmer, out of rotation

[C Court]

I don’t see a future for Chris with the Raptors. I think he’s moved by the deadline.

[WeTheNorth123]

His role is to keep the bench nice and warm! he's a glorified, overpriced heater for the bench

Sorry I should stop hating on this guy lol! he's a cool dude

[DangerZone13]

Trade fodder. Spot minutes backing up Precious on rough days.

[DelAbbot]

Should have traded him last deadline when he looked great on an underpaid contract.

Now he is probably worthless in a trade except as salary ballast.

Hope he stays in the NBA after this season.

[pingpongrac]

I don’t see a future for Chris with the Raptors. I think he’s moved by the deadline.

Same here. I hope he can regain some of his form because Boucher of last season is a valuable bench piece for a lot of contenders. We could possibly snag a late 1st/young asset for Boucher if he can be a positive player again.

[johanliebert]

Nba coverage in this city is sad if William Lou is relied on for analaysis.

Boucher has always been a train wreck he was just effective last year. His playing time took a considerable hit and he’s been on a short leash thus far.

Has a raptor ever responded well to nurses criticism?

[C_Money]

Is his bball IQ worse than Achiuwa’s? I’d think about benching both of them.

[vulture]

the shot selection and missed defensive rotations have been bad all season. He's about to turn 29 so they'll move him at the deadline.

[bboyskinnylegs]

at this point he's neutral salary filler that we pretend isn't salary filler until the deadline passes. At peak value, he probably could have fetched us a late 1st. Maybe we get lucky and there's someone good available that will require Dragic+Chris' expiring contracts (+ whatever else we need to give up).

[Indeed]

He started learning the PF position this year, which is a bit late. You got to wonder if it is worth the effort to develop him with 5 - 7 years left in his prime years. Couple of things he probably can't do on the Nurse offense:
1) Make the extra pass (he only looks for his shot, so I am not sure he can move the ball)
2) Set off-ball picks, think for other teammates (not himself)
3) Make cuts to free up space (not for his touches)

I think his agent will ask to move him with the way how he is playing.

[Duffman100]

Should have traded him last deadline when he looked great on an underpaid contract.

Now he is probably worthless in a trade except as salary ballast.

Hope he stays in the NBA after this season.

eh, the book was out on him by the deadline. His %s had completely cratered.

[Wannabe MEP]

The stats say the Raptors have been at their best defensively with Boucher on the court, but struggled offensively.

Defensive rating for Raptors min 100 minutes:

1. Boucher 94.4
2. Banton 100.8
3. FVV 101.3
4. Precious 101.9
5. Birch 102.1
6. Barnes 102.8
7. OG 103.5
8. Svi 103.9
9. Trent 104.4

The Boucher-Birch frontcourt has dominated defensively, and been just good enough on offense to dominate overall.

• Off Rating: 109.2
• Def Rating: 91.0
• Net Rating: +18.1

His shot is a problem right now, and he does make mistakes. I think people -- including Nurse -- are undervaluing how much his length, mobility, and hustle make up for his shooting and mistakes. He should keep getting run with the second unit.

[vulture]

The stats say the Raptors have been at their best defensively with Boucher on the court, but struggled offensively.

Defensive rating for Raptors min 100 minutes:

1. Boucher 94.4
2. Banton 100.8
3. FVV 101.3
4. Precious 101.9
5. Birch 102.1
6. Barnes 102.8
7. OG 103.5
8. Svi 103.9
9. Trent 104.4

The Boucher-Birch frontcourt has dominated defensively, and been just good enough on offense to dominate overall.

• Off Rating: 109.2
• Def Rating: 91.0
• Net Rating: +18.1

His shot is a problem right now, and he does make mistakes. I think people -- including Nurse -- are undervaluing how much his length, mobility, and hustle make up for his shooting and mistakes. He should keep getting run with the second unit.

I’m not sure how many more years are going to pass before it’s universally accepted that offensive/defensive ratings are not individual stats.
Like, the absolute best framing of it is “Team X has an offensive/defensive rating of ___ when Player X is on the court” and even that requires context to be added

[pingpongrac]

Should have traded him last deadline when he looked great on an underpaid contract.

Now he is probably worthless in a trade except as salary ballast.

Hope he stays in the NBA after this season.

eh, the book was out on him by the deadline. His %s had completely cratered.

Not quite. He was just in a bit of a cold stretch with the long ball (5/21 in 7 games leading up to the trade deadline), but he was still averaging 13.7 PTS and 6.4 REB on 53/42/76 shooting splits (65 TS%) at that point.

It wasn't until after the trade deadline where his numbers took a notable dip for more than a few games (46% from the field and 30% from long range with almost a third of those 3FGM coming in one game against OKC).

[Wannabe MEP]

The stats say the Raptors have been at their best defensively with Boucher on the court, but struggled offensively.

Defensive rating for Raptors min 100 minutes:

1. Boucher 94.4
2. Banton 100.8
3. FVV 101.3
4. Precious 101.9
5. Birch 102.1
6. Barnes 102.8
7. OG 103.5
8. Svi 103.9
9. Trent 104.4

The Boucher-Birch frontcourt has dominated defensively, and been just good enough on offense to dominate overall.

• Off Rating: 109.2
• Def Rating: 91.0
• Net Rating: +18.1

His shot is a problem right now, and he does make mistakes. I think people -- including Nurse -- are undervaluing how much his length, mobility, and hustle make up for his shooting and mistakes. He should keep getting run with the second unit.

I’m not sure how many more years are going to pass before it’s universally accepted that offensive/defensive ratings are not individual stats.
Like, the absolute best framing of it is “Team X has an offensive/defensive rating of ___ when Player X is on the court” and even that requires context to be added

So...pretty much exactly what I said?

[Raps in 4]

Out of the rotation.

[vulture]

The stats say the Raptors have been at their best defensively with Boucher on the court, but struggled offensively.

Defensive rating for Raptors min 100 minutes:

1. Boucher 94.4
2. Banton 100.8
3. FVV 101.3
4. Precious 101.9
5. Birch 102.1
6. Barnes 102.8
7. OG 103.5
8. Svi 103.9
9. Trent 104.4

The Boucher-Birch frontcourt has dominated defensively, and been just good enough on offense to dominate overall.

• Off Rating: 109.2
• Def Rating: 91.0
• Net Rating: +18.1

His shot is a problem right now, and he does make mistakes. I think people -- including Nurse -- are undervaluing how much his length, mobility, and hustle make up for his shooting and mistakes. He should keep getting run with the second unit.

I’m not sure how many more years are going to pass before it’s universally accepted that offensive/defensive ratings are not individual stats.
Like, the absolute best framing of it is “Team X has an offensive/defensive rating of ___ when Player X is on the court” and even that requires context to be added

So...pretty much exactly what I said?

but that has nothing to do with Boucher specifically is my concern. It's a team metric not an individual one and how you're framing is misleading imo.