Chris Boucher Believes He's Figured Out the Reason for his Disappointing Start

Toronto Raptors forward Chris Boucher has stopped focusing on his three-point shot and it appears to be helping him right the ship these days

Aaron Rose | Dec 6, 2021

Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

The tape never lies.

It’s a lesson Chris Boucher has had to remind himself of over the past few weeks. The Toronto Raptors forward had come into the season expecting to be a key contributor for the team, one of the few returning veterans, and on the heels of a breakthrough 2020-21 champaign. But with a contract on the line, things haven’t exactly gone as planned.

Through the first 20 or so games of the season, Boucher had been a disaster for the Raptors. He’d gone from the sixth or seventh man for Toronto to out of the rotation. His defense was a mess. He stopped bringing the energy he once prided himself on. And, most importantly for him personally, his three-point shot wasn’t falling. He’d usually hunt a three-pointer, take an ill-advised jumper and when it didn’t fall, things would spiral down from there.

“I was like ‘Oh no.’ I can shoot but I’m not showing it right now,” said Boucher, who has seen his three-point shooting fall from 38% last season to 18.5% this year.

With his contract expiring at the end of the season, it was only natural that things were getting to his head.

So, he decided to regroup. He said he began meditating before games to clear his mind and he told Toronto’s coaching staff to show him exactly he isn’t playing. What am I doing wrong, he wondered.

“Then you watch the clip and you’re like: ‘that’s why,’” Boucher said Sunday. “I’m trying to fix the reasons for why I’m not on the floor because I can help this team the way I’m playing.”

It starts with forgetting the three-point shot, for now. If it comes, it comes. If it falls, it falls. But Boucher said isn’t focusing on the threes anymore. Instead, he wants to get back to the skills he had when he first broke into the league as a lanky, rim-running forward who could create mismatches with his size and speed.

“I can do a lot of different stuff. I can set screen and roll, cut, slip screen. There’s a lot of stuff I can do [that] I kind of forgot trying to figure out where my three was,” he said following his 14-point performance Sunday that included just one three-point attempt. “I’m realizing what role I have here. Take what I can get and do the best with it.”

That’s, of course, easier said than done, especially for someone with Boucher’s contract situation. But for now, at least, it appears to be working. He’s strung together a trio of quality performances, and even when his shots aren’t falling, he’s not letting it impact his game elsewhere.

“He kinda maybe pressed a little too hard or whatever, and he's just kind of settled in a little bit more,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. "It's more what we need from him."

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