3 Toronto Raptors players who exceeded expectations in 2020-21

3. Chris Boucher

In the summer of 2012 in Montreal, Boucher, a lanky 6-8 19-year-old kid, was barely making ends meet as a part-time dishwasher and cook. He agreed to participate in a basketball tournament that would change the trajectory of his life for good.

9 years later, despite putting the league on notice coming off the bench, Boucher is still going under the radar. It’s a rare occasion when a player gets consideration for both the Sixth Man of the Year award (6MOY) and Most Improved Player (MIP) in the same season.

Despite making a solid case for both the awards. Boucher finished sixth in MIP votes and eighth in 6MOY votes. That sounds like casual fan voting, but of course we’re a bit salty about Boucher being snubbed for a Top 3 finish for either of the awards.

Chris Boucher looks like a quality piece for the future.

When the Raptors lost out on two key frontcourt pieces in Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka last offseason, it was apparent they were going to need help filling the new vacancies. Besides the failed experiments with Aron Baynes and Alex Len, the Raptors doubled down on the former G-League MVP and Defensive Player of the Year.

They re-signed Boucher on a two-year deal for $13.5M – the most in NBA history for an undrafted Canadian player.

Once he got his confidence going, he was a treat to watch on both ends of the floor. Boucher’s instincts and timing to grab rebounds and block shots are superb. He put his albatross wingspan on full display this season with his signature close out on 3-point shots.

Boucher’s long strides and athleticism allowed him to close the gap and block more 3’s than anyone else this season. Considering the league is averaging more 3 point attempts than ever before with 34.6 per game, this trump card of Boucher’s will not go out of style anytime soon. He finished the season with 25 blocks on 3 point attempts.

On the offensive end, Boucher doubled his scoring from last season to 13.6 points on an efficient 51% from the field, 35% from 3-point range (draining 1.5 per game), and 78% from the free-throw line. Among centers and power forwards, he finished fourth in shooting threes above the break, or any 3-pointer that is not taken from the corners.

His ability to play a stretch four is a perfect fit in the modern NBA and he’s clearly not a liability on defense at power forward either.

At 28, the chances of him evolving his game into a starter role are not as high as one might think. But if he can find ways to be consistent and continue to dominate on both ends of the floor coming off the bench, he won’t stay under the radar much longer.