3 changes Raptors must make after Precious Achiuwa injury news

The Toronto Raptors have been bitten by the injury bug once again, as Precious Achiuwa was ruled out for an indefinite period due to an ankle injury. With Pascal Siakam already on the mend, things have gone from bad to worse for Toronto and its thin depth chart.

While Achiuwa has seen his field goal percentage dip below 40% and his 3-point shooting from last year dried up almost entirely, Toronto used him so consistently because of his ability to defend multiple positions and make himself known as a rim protector.

The Raptors are being forced to dig deep onto their bench just 12 games into the season, as Achiuwa’s unique style of play is going to make him very hard to replace. Toronto will have to tinker with what they have and engineer some combination that successfully mitigates his loss.

These three changes should take place with immediate effect, as they are the best way to replace the skills that Achiuwa brought to the table. It won’t be easy, but a team coached by Nick Nurse is not going to keel over because one bench player injured his ankle.

3 changes Toronto Raptors must make due to Precious Achiuwa injury.

3. Trust Chris Boucher

The Raptors have tried to make the Achiuwa-Boucher 1-2 punch one of the most feared bench combinations in the league, and they’ve generally done a fine job working with both of them. However, Boucher will be singled out in a fairly significant fashion without No. 5 to take some of the heat off.

While Boucher, who signed a three-year contract in the offseason, hit double-figures in six of his first seven games, he has amassed just 10 points in his last three games and hasn’t made a shot from the field since Sunday. With Precious sidelined, the role of top bench scorer and stopper could fall to Boucher.

The Toronto Raptors are asking a lot of Chris Boucher.

Last year’s bench was so putrid that Nurse would often run seven-man rotations. Late in the season, Nurse leaned on Boucher to stabilize the league’s worst crop of reserves. While he won’t have to go THAT extreme in terms of how he changes the rotation, he needs to get Boucher on the floor as often as possible.

Boucher can be a bit streaky, but he’s one of the best bench players in the league when he gets into a groove. Boucher can be maddening at times, but he’s the only one who can put together a performance that very closely resembles what Precious brings to the table.