When the Toronto Raptors entered the offseason after the NBA Bubble wrapped up, they had some big questions about what their roster would look like moving forward and how much of their championship core they would retain. Two major players from the 2019 title team, Mark Gasol and Serge Ibaka, signed deals in Los Angeles, which left a lot of minutes to be filled in the frontcourt. This provided ample opportunity for 4th year player Chris Boucher, who signed a two year deal with the Raptors in November just before the season began.
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Through the first 14 games of this year, he is making the most of the increased role he’s been given, and putting production far surpassing anything he’s done in the previous stages of his career.
This is the first time he’s seen regular minutes in a rotation, and given this opportunity he’s averaging career highs across the board. He’s averaging 15.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks all on just under 24 minutes per game. This is a remarkable leap from the production he had the first three seasons of his career.
What to watch for as a fantasy player
For the fantasy basketball league players out there that are interested in Chris Boucher, you may have missed the boat. While the community at large was not all that keen on him to start the season with a Yahoo! average draft position of 137th, he’s become a hot commodity that is not widely available anymore.
Count yourself lucky if you were one the ones who either drafted or was able to pick him up while this gem was still available. A ‘gem’ is a new NBA Fantasy league term. A gem’s a rare find that pays off big time.
Part of what makes him so valuable for fantasy leagues is his versatility. He is not only playable as a power forward, but also a center – which is great for roster flexibility. Plus for roto players, he compiles in a category that not many center/power forwards do – 3 pointers.
It’s a pretty remarkable output for him thus far. He’s averaging just 1.8 three-pointers per game, and shooting them at an astounding 48.1%. Considering that he came into the year as a career 32% shooter from behind the arc, a jump in efficiency like this is a gigantic leap for a young player.
Gambling implications
With the departure of Gasol to the Lakers and Ibaka to the Clippers, there were real question marks as to how the Raptors would fill that void. After his impressive start, he has cemented his role, with the team releasing fellow back-up center Alex Len, who simply wasn’t producing at the same rate.
All of this quality play has gotten noticed from those who might want to wager on some season long awards. He’s now in the top 6 in terms of odds for both 6th Man of the Year (+1400) and Most Improved Player (+2000).
Coming into the season, he was quite under the radar in terms of predictions – two NBA writers for The Ringer slated Raptors teammate OG Anunoby as their prognostication for Most Improve. According to Sports Odds History, he came into the year at +5000 for 6th Man and +2500 for Most Improved, while the value of a wager on him may have gone down, there is still a lot of games left to be played for him to prove himself. Don’t be afraid to place a bet on him on a platform like the A2S developed, sports betting app.
He’s currently on a modest contract as well, only making $6.5 million this year, which is significantly less compared to those with similar output at the position. Certainly he will have increased his value the next time he’s up for a new deal.
While the Raptors may find themselves struggling at the open – currently sitting at 5-9 – Chris Boucher has provided one spark for them to be optimistic about. If CB keeps playing at this level, “Forward” should be his theme song (music video here) because that’s exactly what he’s doing.