The Toronto Raptors were able to bring Pascal Siakam and Gary Trent Jr. back into the fold after their stint in the health and safety protocols before their tussle against the Philadelphia 76ers, but players like Chris Boucher and Malachi Flynn needed to eat up minutes with so many big names out.
The Raptors were faced with the daunting task of corraling Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris in the frontcourt with most of their weapons in the paint currently sidelined. Even with those daunting odds against them, Toronto was able to stay in this game after three very even quarters.
Despite fighting their way back into the game and taking the lead late in the fourth quarter, Embiid and the 76ers ultimately prevailed 114-109. Toronto’s heart and hustle weren’t enough to take down a team that has aspirations of a deep playoff run.
The Raptors put forth a spirited effort against one of the better teams in the conference while severely undermanned. While most players should be thrilled with how they played tonight, there are one or two who need to shake this performance off and regroup before New Year’s eve.
Chris Boucher carried the Toronto Raptors on offense.
As tough as to was to eschew Siakam and his dominant showing, Boucher was the catalyst for Toronto tonight. With so many scoring options sidelined, the struggling power forward stepped up and provided most of the offensive pizzazz that Scottie Barnes or OG Anunoby would’ve shown off.
Boucher tied his career-best mark with 19 rebounds while scoring 28 points on 10-14 shooting. Boucher looked like the player we saw in Tampa last season, as he made five of his seven attempts from 3-point range in what was a very promising effort from the lanky forward.
Career-high tying 19 rebounds for Chris Boucher, who also has 28 points on 5-7 3P. What a game.
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) December 29, 2021
Keep in mind the fact that Boucher was being asked to take on Embiid and Tobias Harris in the frontcourt. While Embiid came alive late, Boucher and DJ Wilson were able to keep them in check for most of the third quarter.
Boucher needs to work on putting together performances like this more consistently, but it’s impossible to find fault in how he performed tonight. With so many frontcourt players returning, Boucher made a convincing case for more playing time.
Malachi Flynn disappointed the Toronto Raptors once again.
Trent spraying inaccurate shots all over the court until the fourth quarter was a bad look, but Flynn’s showing in his return was a bit more disheartening. With Fred VanVleet in the protocols and Dalano Banton a pregame scratch with a knee injury, Flynn had a golden opportunity to assert himself as a key contributor.
Rather than dynamically proving himself as a player worthy of increased minutes, he had another inefficient night shooting the ball. Flynn connected on just two of his 12 shots while going 2-8 from 3-point range. Six points and three assists while playing 32 minutes is not adequate production.
Flynn is running out of time to prove that he should be a part of this team’s long-term core. His hot finish to the season in 2020-21 is looking more like an anomaly than an indicator of consistent high-level play. If his offensive skills don’t develop, he could end up playing elsewhere in 2022.