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Toronto Raptors: 6ix Takes – This team must get healthy

By Jordan Skuse

TORONTO, ON - JANUARY 1: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors dribbles the ball as Royce O'Neale #23 of the Utah Jazz defends during the first half of an NBA game at Scotiabank Arena on January 1, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - JANUARY 1: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors dribbles the ball as Royce O'Neale #23 of the Utah Jazz defends during the first half of an NBA game at Scotiabank Arena on January 1, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
(Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /

3. Chris Boucher is fearless

Fearlessness…you either have it or you don’t. And Chris Boucher has it in spades.

Boucher, arguably the G-League’s most dominant player (along with Christian Wood of the Wisconsin Heard), has gotten an extended run with the Raptors as a result of Jonas Valanciunas’ injury. Before going any further on Boucher, it’s worth noting Valanciunas is expected to miss at least another three-to-four weeks, so as much as his team wants him back asap, JV’s return to the court is still a ways away.

While he’s played sparingly since being promoted to the big club, Boucher has wasted little time trying to impact games he’s been fortunate enough to appear in. On Thursday against San Antonio, in a game that was essentially over, Boucher nailed an elbow three that caused Gregg Popovich to call a timeout.

Now, before you call “GARBAGE TIME!” on me, understand that those minutes are anything but garbage to Boucher. If he’s smart, he enters that game and treats it as if it were a tie ball game. And look, I’m not going to try and convince anybody reading this that Boucher is ready to handle consistent minutes against legitimate NBA talent…but I will tell you that based on what I’ve seen, he’s not far off from such responsibilities.

Offensively, I think he has all the tools required to succeed at the NBA level — most importantly, he oozes confident…almost to a fault. He will continue to struggle defensively until he bulks up (see Pascal Siakam). Remember Spicy P in his rookie season? The guy was a rake…now look at him.

Like Pascal, the future is bright for Chris Boucher. The Raptors 905 continues to be a godsend for player development.

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