Raptors Discuss Role & Growth Areas For Chris Boucher

The Toronto Raptors want Chris Boucher to grow as a leader this year and start playing with a higher basketball IQ this season

Jan 17, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors forward Chris Boucher (25) talks with guard Gradey Dick (1) during a break in the action against the Miami Heat during the second half at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images / John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Chris Boucher is saying all the right things.

The 31-year-old Toronto Raptors forward claims he doesn’t feel out of place these days. He looks around at training camp and sees a roster full of young, up-and-coming prospects and says he knows he can still run with these guys. Seven years into his career, it’s the right attitude.

But the reality feels a little different.

Toronto has made it clear the organization is embarking on a rebuilding season and last year proved Boucher isn’t in the plans. The 6-foot-9 big man was a DNP-CD (did not play – coach’s decision) in 15 games last year and saw his minutes dwindle from 20 points per game in 2022-23 to an inconsistent 14 minutes per game last year.

Part of that is Boucher’s style of play.

The long and lanky forward has always been an energy player, relying on his physical gifts and impressive motor to see the court. Whether it was good or bad, Boucher was always going to do something impactful when he hit the court.

This year, though, Boucher is realizing he can’t just be that high-energy bench player anymore. He’s competing with a half dozen other youthful high-energy players looking for opportunities and if he’s going to see the court, he needs to provide what they can’t: experience.

“I think a lot of basketball that I’ve been playing is a lot of raw talent, but I need to think the game way more,” Boucher told reporters in Montreal for Toronto’s first day of training camp. “I think Darko pushed me to do that this summer.”

Boucher has spent the summer working on that. He’s trying to become a better leader for the Raptors and a veteran for his young teammates. Admittedly, that hasn’t been a strength of Boucher’s over the years.

“That’s something that I think I needed a lot of work to do and this summer I took a lot of time for that,” he told reporters.

It’s unclear what Boucher’s role is going to be on the court for Toronto. The Raptors certainly have a dearth of 6-foot-9, athletic forwards, but considering his age and expiring contract situation, it wouldn’t be surprising if Toronto opts to move further away from Boucher this year.

“Chris’ role is to be ready every single day,” Raptors coach Darko Rajaković said vaguely from Montreal. “Is he gonna be starting, playing, being in rotation, playing second unit, or not being in rotation? Like the season is going to dictate that. What he controls and what we control is everyday work that he puts in and he's doing really good job so far.”

If Boucher is going to remain in Toronto through the trade deadline this year and into the future, it’ll be because of the development he does personally. It’s unlikely he’s going to develop into some new basketball player on the court, but if there’s a new maturity level to Boucher as a leader for the organization, maybe that’s enough to keep him with Toronto going forward.