Chris Boucher Interview with Hoopshype

[WuTang_OG]

https://hoopshype.com/lists/nba-intel-kevin-durant-trade-rockets-suns-heat-timberwolves-raptors-thunder-pacers-kings/

How did you get started playing basketball?
Chris Boucher: I grew up in a difficult part of Montreal. One thing that wasn’t expensive that we were able to do was play basketball, go to the parks, and play with whoever was on the court. At the time, I was kind of small. I was able to shoot a little bit, and then I got taller. I wanted to dunk. Every day, I was getting better. I ended up growing to about 6-foot-8 and was able to shoot a little bit. I think that helped me envision playing basketball. I was 20 when I started. Even after five or six years in the NBA, I feel like I was getting better and learning things that some players already knew from playing in high school.

Ibrahim (Willson) and Igor (Rwigema), the coaches that saw me before I went to prep school, saw me playing in the park, and they told me that I had a chance to play in the States and get a scholarship. I kept getting better. When I first got the Sports Illustrated magazine in Oregon, I realized that’s when people were actually seeing what I’m doing, and I had a chance to get further in my career.

Before that, I was playing a little bit of soccer and street hockey because it was free.

You’re 32, but you’ve only played eight years in the league, so how do you feel that impacts your development?
CB: I think the way it helps me is that I don’t have all the years of basketball on my body. For example, guys that have played since they’re eight or nine, that’s a lot of years of basketball to get to the league and a lot of pressure on your body. I never felt like that. I always felt like my body was younger, even though I was older. My body feels young. Learning about basketball, getting better, and the pace of the game was getting slower the more I was playing. Since I haven’t played since I was young, I’ve learned all those things that make the game a lot easier and the game a lot slower. It makes me a better player, understanding the game, seeing what I can do, and how I can get better. People don’t get better when they get to my age.

As you touched on, most people see 32 and think a player is what he is. In your scenario, how do you feel about that in comparison?
CB: I feel like they’ve gotten the chance to see it through the years. You can see how my career has been, and this year has been one of my best years. I think I shot the ball better and made better decisions. I was a better defensive player. Even in restricted minutes, I understood my role and knew what I had to do to come into the game, be a spark, and be efficient. I think I was able to do all of this in one year. I was able to do that because I knew myself and what I could do while also knowing my role.

One thing I’ve been able to do through the years is take the good and the bad and make a season full of the good stuff that I can do. Shooting the ball, reading decisions, and being impactful in defending multiple positions. Being with the Raptors, I was definitely one of their best players off the bench. This year, I feel like I was more consistent, and I was able to do a lot of things I wasn’t able to do in years past.

What’s it meant to spend all but one game of your career in Toronto?
CB: I think of how much they believed in me at the beginning, and that was really something that I have to give them their flowers to believe in something that people weren’t sure of at that time. I thought I was so much better. Obviously, I had some potential, but I wasn’t there yet. They kept believing in me and kept putting me in a position to get better. That all helped me out. I think the player I am now a lot of it comes from them and seeing what I was able to do while learning from the positions I was put in. They showed me how to become a leader and a man. My life has changed a lot in the eight years that I’ve been here. A lot of things I had to learn on the fly, and I was able to do that in Toronto.

What direction do you see Toronto going into next season and beyond?
CB: Obviously, I want to play with a team that’s going for winning. I want to get back into the playoffs. When I look at the playoffs, I don’t see myself not being in it. I’d say there are a lot of things I can do to help a team. I feel like with Toronto, I’ve always been lucky to be with this team trying to win. This year, it was a little bit different, and it felt a little different. Now it’s about how I can get better and be wherever it is, whether it’s here in Toronto or somewhere where they want to win. If that’s the case, then that’s where I should be.

How do you feel you can fit in Toronto around the new tandem of Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram?
CB: I’ve been here for so long. I know everything about the playbook. I’ve played for four years with Scottie Barnes, so I already know how to play with him. It doesn’t change anything for me. I know how to position myself with what he’s able to do, and I’ve seen him grow the whole time. Scottie, Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, and the rest of the core, I’ve been there with them. I didn’t play as much, but in the minutes I’ve played with them, they were successful and impactful. It really all depends on them. If they want to go a different route, that’s up to them. When it comes to me and my fit with the team, I feel like I’m able to adjust to whatever it is.

Do I want to not be on the floor, not playing, and wait? I feel like I’ve been doing that for the last two years. We haven’t had winning seasons in those years, which explains it, but I can’t really afford not to be on a playoff team and trying to win, especially when it comes to my age.

What else are you looking for at this point in your career going into free agency?
CB: I want to be able to help a team win. I think that I’m able to fill a lot of roles. One thing that’s good about me is you can put me almost anywhere except point guard. I’ll figure out a way to be impactful and consistent. I think I’m at the point where I can be on a team to help them win, play meaningful minutes, have a consistent role, and not hoping or not knowing what’s coming next.
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[Kingsway_fan]

Would love to see him back with Raps

[ishoy123]

Anyone else completely forget he was even on the roster?

[mtcan]

Would love to see him back with Raps

Agree.

He's a guy who can turn a game just by plugging him in for a few minutes with his hustle and his shooting (if he's on).

[Parataxis]

Anyone else completely forget he was even on the roster?

No, just you. Heck, there were multiple 'why aren't they playing Boucher' threads over the past season.

[earthtone]

I really hope Boucher catches on a playoff team this year. It’s weird to say for a guy who’s 32, but he’s still developing and improving.

If he catches on with the Lakers/Nuggets/Clippers etc, I think he becomes an instant fan favourite and has a memorable playoff moment or two.

[Basketball_Jones]

His story is actually pretty crazy. Always liked him and think he does have a place here now that we’re trying to win. He has slowed down for sure but can still shoot it decently and gives us size.

[Raptorfan2012]

I don't mind Boucher, but with our limited amount of money before the tax, it really depends on who we trade to free up some money. If we have room for only one vet on a min deal, I prefer to try my luck with someone else.

[Tor_Raps]

Hes definitely a rotation player for almost every team in the nba. Bench players are meant to run hot/cold and you adjust their minutes depending on which side theyre on. We've seen him be a game changer multiple times.

[Boardbreaker]

If the pacers decide to move on from Obi I can see him there as a cheaper replacement

[Brinbe]

would love to have him back at a vet min price but I think he'll catch on somewhere else in FA

[bape_lovers]

do they even play the same?

If the pacers decide to move on from Obi I can see him there as a cheaper replacement

[WiggOuts]

Chris is rhe exact type of player that will end up in a big market, do exactly what he's done for the Raptors year after year, everyone will talk about how amazing he is and how dumb the Raps are for letting him go

[PushDaRock]

He's been a really good player the last 2 seasons. Production, efficiency and has impacted winning in the minutes he's played. It makes sense to bring him back if we are trying to compete next season.