The high-energy, floor-spacing, rim-protecting forward spent his previous seven seasons in Toronto where, he contributed at a high level off the bench. Even as a role player, the two-time NBA champion has strung together some impressive statistical performances.
We’ve highlighted five of his top games below:
5. December 26, 2020, vs. San Antonio
MP | FG/A | 3P/A | FT/A | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS | +/- |
28:15 | 9/13 | 3/4 | 1/2 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 22 | -9 |
Boucher put his 7-foot-4 wingspan to good use on Dec. 26, 2020, when he logged the best shot-blocking effort of his career. He came just three swats shy of a triple-double against the Spurs, finishing with 22 points, 10 rebounds and seven blocks in 28 minutes off the bench. He is the only reserve in NBA history to record a game of at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, and seven blocks without committing a turnover.
4. March 11, 2021, vs. Atlanta
MP | FG/A | 3P/A | FT/A | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS | +/- |
30:25 | 10/15 | 2/4 | 7/8 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 29 | +5 |
The Atlanta Hawks experienced some déjà vu against Boucher during the second half of the 2020-21 season when he posted two nearly identical stat lines against them within a month. Both efforts rank among the best of his career. On Feb. 6, 2021, he logged 29 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks, while making eight 2-pointers, two 3-pointers, and eight free throws. He followed that up on March 11 with exactly the same number of points, field goals made, threes, free throws, and blocks, and just one less rebound than in the first game. The latter performance stood out slightly more, as it also included two steals and a positive plus/minus despite Toronto’s loss.
3. December 28, 2021, vs. Philadelphia
MP | FG/A | 3P/A | FT/A | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS | +/- |
37:44 | 10/14 | 5/7 | 3/4 | 19 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 28 | -6 |
Boucher stepped in for seven straight starts in late December of 2021 to alleviate Toronto’s shorthandedness due to COVID protocols. His final start of that stretch was his best game of the campaign, as he turned in a season-high 28 points and a career-high-tying 19 rebounds, along with two blocks and two steals. He shot 10-of-14 from the field, including 5-of-7 from long range, and found ways to make an impact all over the court despite foul trouble. Boucher nearly led Toronto to an upset win over Philadelphia, but Joel Embiid’s 36 points and Tobias Harris’ first career triple double gave the 76ers a five-point edge.
2. April 18, 2021, vs. Oklahoma City
MP | FG/A | 3P/A | FT/A | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS | +/- |
35:18 | 10/16 | 6/9 | 5/7 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 31 | +15 |
On April 18, 2021, Boucher had the best shooting performance of his career – both in volume and in the clutch. He knocked down a career-high six 3-pointers on nine attempts en route to a 31-point effort, leading the Raptors to a comeback win over the Thunder. Boucher scored 20 points in the first half, including a buzzer-beating three that cut Toronto’s deficit to single digits at the break. He saved his last 10 points for the closing minutes of the fourth quarter, hitting Toronto’s first go-ahead basket of the game at the 2:27 mark and sealing the game with another three in the final 11 seconds. It would have been regarded as the best overall game of his career – if not for the epic performance he recorded just 10 days earlier…
1. April 8, 2021, vs. Chicago
MP | FG/A | 3P/A | FT/A | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS | +/- |
36:07 | 14/24 | 3/7 | 7/8 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 38 | +16 |
April 8, 2021, was a career night in multiple ways, as he logged both his highest-scoring game and best rebounding game as a pro. He erupted for 38 points on 14-of-24 shooting, while grabbing 19 boards – nine offensive and 10 defensive. Despite Toronto’s nine-point loss to the Bulls, Boucher’s impact was clear in the plus/minus department: he was a plus-16 during 36 minutes of action, while the Raptors were minus-25 during the 12 minutes he sat. At the time, it was the highest-scoring game by a Canadian-born Raptor in franchise history, until R.J. Barrett’s 39-point effort against Indiana last November. It remains the best game of Boucher’s career.