Chris Boucher deserves this final flourish, likely his last with the Raptors

On By Littum

TORONTO — Chris Boucher’s effort isn’t unpredictable, but his production and decision-making are. Boucher has been improbably in Toronto since 2018, when the Raptors signed him to a two-way contract, the last remaining player from the championship era. He has worked his way in and out of the rotation of two coaches probably a dozen times in that span.

Boucher will run the floor like his job depends on it, because it does. And yet, because Boucher disrupts the offense with a quick shot or gets outmuscled on the defensive glass, coaches have trouble relying on him.

When things are going well for Boucher, though, it’s pretty fun — laugh-out-loud fun. e.g. Boucher hit a 3 over an excellent contest of fellow Canadian Andrew Wiggins doing a back somersault while absorbing some post-shot contact is pure joy. Every Boucher moment in his 17-point fourth-quarter outburst in the Raptors’ 104-101 win over the Golden State Warriors was a version of that.

“Yeah,” Boucher said of his shot over Wiggins. “I shot it to the moon.”

“He won us this game,” Scottie Barnes said of Boucher.

Since it was victory no. 9 to the Raptors, that counts for a lot. Most fans understand that the Raptors will lose most of the time, but to make the locker room acceptable, the odd win is important.

Boucher has been on a heater lately, and Raptors fans have to feel good about him. He is in the final season of his three-year deal, and this will almost certainly be his last in Toronto. He turned 32 on Saturday, and the Raptors are in the midst of a rebuild. Organizationally, it doesn’t make sense to invest more time in him. Whether he’s traded at the deadline or finishes the year with the Raptors, it likely will be.

His recent play may increase the odds of a trade — he’s hit 26 of his last 48 3s over 11 games. The Warriors game was his crowning glory as he threw down a big dunk in traffic, a delicate layup off a baseline drive and a pair of big rebounds to help the Raptors secure the win.

“I think being patient has been important,” Boucher said. “I think that’s one thing that I needed a little bit more of, being patient with the ball, knowing that it’s not just the shot — that (if you) move the ball, it’s going to come back to you.”

Boucher has made similar observations about himself in the past. He’s put his shot selection on blast in front of microphones, always good for an endearing bit of self-recognition. When Raptors coach Darko Rajaković came in last year replacing Nick Nurse and preached an offense based on ball movement, it was always going to be difficult for Boucher to get regular minutes.

Although the coach admired things about Boucher, he could not be trusted to help the team build fundamental habits. And yet Boucher always finds his way back into the rotation, via injury or strain or just a crazy run of shots.

“He is such a professional. He comes to work every day,” said Rajaković. “Brings a lot of energy to our practice. … I’m really happy for him when he plays the way he played tonight.”

Boucher is remarkably the longest-serving Raptor. He started his career with the Warriors, but was waived after his first year with Golden State. Steve Kerr said before the game that his combination of shooting and shot-blocking was exciting, but the timing wasn’t right for him to develop with Golden State. The Raptors had more development time for Boucher, even though they competed at the top end of the NBA, as did the Warriors.

“It’s kind of amazing,” Kerr said of Boucher still playing with the Raptors seven seasons later.

Yes, it’s kind of amazing. It takes talent and hard work to be rewarded with two multi-year contracts by the same team, but it also takes a bit of luck to hold on for that long, not to be thrown into a major trade that has nothing to do with you do.

It’s a bit of a fluke, but it gives Raptors fans a little bit of organizational continuity as they piece together a path forward. Boucher talked about seeing the Warriors’ storied core during his year with them, seeing the likes of Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green, Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet in Toronto. Along the way, he’s learned lessons in keeping himself relevant and viable despite his odd combination of skills.

“I was always trying to shoot a 3 and get some things going,” Boucher said of playing in low-leverage minutes for the Raptors early in his career. “And I have always kept (remember) that throughout my career. Just kind of (thinking) like, “OK, it can be two minutes, three minutes, just make a big impact.” I think now with the work I’ve put in and all that, it’s a little easier. But I did it a long time ago, without work, all energy.”

As he made his way into the Raptors locker room ready to receive a standing ovation from his teammates for his role in the victory, the fruits of that energy were evident. Chris Boucher deserves this.

(Photo of Chris Boucher driving to the net against the Warriors: John E. Sokolowski / Imagn Images)