5. Chris Boucher
Opponent: Boston Celtics
Stat line: 24 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks
Boucher is another player like Lowry, VanVleet, and Ibaka that is looking to make the most of his extra opportunity. Although the minutes are still a little inconsistent, with Ibaka getting the lion share of that time, Boucher still makes the most of his minutes when needed.
The Raptors needed it desperately on Christmas as the team did not look prepared to take on the Celtics. Boucher only scored three points in the first quarter as he only subbed in at the two-minute mark but the second quarter was when he made a big surge. With Boucher playing 10 minutes in the quarter he was able to tally 10 points to go along with two rebounds as the Raptors were down eight at halftime.
Unfortunately for the Raptors, the team was not able to get back into this game, but Boucher continued to perform at a high level. Entering the game at the three-minute mark of the third quarter, Boucher was only able to score two points, but just like he did in the second quarter, he turned it up in the fourth quarter. He scored nine points to go along with 4 rebounds in the final quarter, but it wasn’t enough as the Raptors took the loss to the Celtics by 16 points.
Boucher averaged 11.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game in Week 10, and while those numbers may not look very impressive, but considering he is doing it in 19 minutes per game, it is definitely much-needed for the Raptors. Expect a few more big games from Boucher for as long as Marc Gasol is out.