3 Toronto Raptors who have earned spots on 2022-23 squad

1. Chris Boucher

Boucher was so poor early in the season that he was benched for a game and constantly thrown into hypothetical trades ahead of his impending free agency. In a year where not much has gone right for Toronto when it comes to building a functional bench, Boucher has been the one constant.

Boucher is averaging 9.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game since the new year started, all while starting to block shots and making 3s as he did during his Tampa breakout. On a bench devoid of scoring, Nurse has continually gone back to Boucher as one of his more trusted options.

Chris Boucher keeps getting better for the Toronto Raptors.

Boucher’s best trait, his versatility, has been on display over these last few weeks. The Raptors will have the likes of Young coming off of the books as well as enough cap space to make some moves. Bringing Boucher back should be at or near the top of their priority list.

Boucher might not be the biggest forward in the world, but he has been extremely effective for years under Nurse in Toronto. He will likely be tempted by multi-year deals elsewhere that could promise more money up front or a starting role, but Toronto should consider matching those offers to keep their unique bench piece in Canada.