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Toronto Raptors: 3 players that could win award races next season

By Joseph Zita

TAMPA, FLORIDA - APRIL 27: OG Anunoby #3 of the Toronto Raptors drives to the net during the first half against the Brooklyn Nets at Amalie Arena on April 27, 2021 in Tampa, Florida. 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 Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FLORIDA - APRIL 27: OG Anunoby #3 of the Toronto Raptors drives to the net during the first half against the Brooklyn Nets at Amalie Arena on April 27, 2021 in Tampa, Florida. 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 Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) /
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TAMPA, FLORIDA – JANUARY 29: Hassan Whiteside #20 of the Sacramento Kings (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /

Looking ahead to next season, the Toronto Raptors have a couple of players on their current roster with the capability to potentially take home some hardware next season.

The Raptors didn’t have the best 2020-21 season, I think we all can agree on that. However, they landed a lottery pick in this year’s draft, and it happened to be the No. 4 overall pick after having the seventh-best odds to win the lottery.

On top of a top 4 pick in this year’s NBA Draft, the Raptors also have some players that could maybe win some NBA awards next season and really help this team have a rebound season after a terrible one in Tampa Bay this past season.

These 3 players are all going to have significant roles and jobs on this Raptors team next season, and they should all take another huge step in their development in this league.

Which Toronto Raptors players could win awards?

1. Chris Boucher: Sixth Man of the Year

There’s no surprise Chris Boucher is on this list as he had a very strong case to potentially win or at least be a finalist for two awards this past season, the Sixth Man of the Year Award and the Most Improved Player Award.

He did get some recognition for both awards, as he finished seventh in Sixth Man of the Year voting and finished tied for sixth with Boston’s Jaylen Brown in Most Improved Player voting.

Next season, Boucher should once again come off the bench for the Raptors if they target a big man this offseason or even simply re-sign Khem Birch and make the move internally. Having a guy like Boucher come off the bench gives you a spark and energy when needed while also providing bench production.

The Toronto Raptors will benefit from Chris Boucher’s style.

As we saw this past season, when Boucher would start games instead of coming off the bench, there would be little to no bench production for the Raptors and it was very tough to watch for this team.

I think Boucher could potentially win Sixth Man of the Year if he continues to improve his game, especially when it comes to being more of a creator on offense. He’s coming off a career year averaging 13.6 points per game, 6.7 rebounds per game, and 1.1 assists per game while having pretty good shooting splits of 51/38/78.