Chris Boucher’s ever-evolving game adds mid-range jumper to give Raptors added weapon

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The book on Chris Boucher is far from complete, an intriguing player who does not have a discernible position when his overall game allows for versatility and at times creativity.

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Boucher understands how opponents have a much better understanding on where he prefers to operate on the court, as well as a deeper knowledge and appreciation of the kind of energy he brings when asked to come off the bench.

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The guy can shoot from distance, a skill that has forced defenders to run Boucher off the three-point line.

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When one door is closed, another opens, and Boucher is beginning to show how his game is expanding.

Rewind to Wednesday, a visit to Scotiabank Arena by the LeBron-less Lakers on a night that began with fans showing their disgust (which was justifiable given the amount of money they doled out expecting to watch the King) when L.A.’s starting unit was introduced.

There was no LeBron James and no Anthony Davis, the two faces of the Lakers.

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The Raptors jumped on the undermanned Lakers quickly and decisively, prompting an early timeout by the visitors.

L.A. went into a zone defence. Under such schemes, it’s imperative to set up in the middle.

The mid-range game hasn’t exactly defined Boucher, but there he was looking comfortable and decisive when he had the ball in his hands.

He was draining fall-aways, and creating when controlling misses.

Boucher looked good.

The Raptors are in this unusual spot of trying to figure things out on the fly with a roster that is not entirely whole.

Gary Trent Jr. is now coming off the bench.

Trent Jr. and Boucher combined for 34 points on 13-of-26 shooting in Toronto’s 126-113 romp over the Lakers.

“We’ve been playing against a lot of zone,” said Boucher, who added seven rebounds in his team’s win. “Usually, the middle is the open spot. I’ve been working a lot on my mid-range.”

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Credit Boucher for making the necessary adjustments.

More awaits as the grind of an NBA season resumes Friday when the Raptors will be in Orlando to play the host Magic, the first of a two-game set there. The teams also are scheduled to play Sunday at Amway Center.

The Raptors have yet to win more than two games in a row, while at the same time they have yet to lose more than two games in succession.

By the time they return to Scotiabank Arena to begin a three-game home stand beginning with a visit by Sacramento next Wednesday, the Raptors should have three successive wins under their belt.

Nothing is ever taken for granted, but it would sound the alarm bells if the Raptors are somehow swept in Orlando.

The Magic came to town last Saturday and was blasted 121-108 by the Raptors.

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Once all the pieces are in place, once a rotation becomes clear and established, perhaps the Raptors will be positioned for a sustained period of success.

Until then, they have to remain flexible.

Boucher is up for the challenge.

By incorporating a mid-range jumper, Boucher won’t be as prone to get charged for an offensive foul when putting the ball on the floor.

He has to maintain his aggressive edge when attacking the basket to corral misses and always be ready when looks from beyond the arc are presented.

He went 2-of-5 from distance against the Lakers, while Trent Jr. missed seven of his nine heaves.

“People (opponents) are doing different stuff against me and it’s just the read (of the defence) I have to do now,” said Boucher.

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FRED STEPS UP

When nine misses on 12 attempts from distance are produced, it would be a stretch to suggest a turning point has been achieved.

Such was the case for Fred VanVleet, who was struggling with his jumper heading into the Lakers game.

He did look more aggressive and assertive when turning the corner and attacking the paint.

At the same time, he did miss 12 shots, including the nine from beyond the arc.

VanVleet and Pascal Siakam each had 25 points to lead all scorers.

“He’s the head of the snake,” said Boucher. “Obviously, we go as far as he goes. When Fred and Pascal are aggressive and making things happen, we have a lot of weapons. It’s always good to see them ready to play and go at the paint all the time.

“With Fred, he’s been having a tough whistle lately, which makes it a little harder. But Fred is going to do what Fred does.”

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VanVleet created some buzz when he unfollowed his teammates on social media amid his shooting funk.

“I unfollowed my mom, too,” FVV said, laughing. “They didn’t care about that part.”

It baffles the mind why it even became a topic of discussion, but in today’s world, the beast must be fed with whatever crap that gets tossed.

VanVleet did see an inordinate amount of accounts on his social media feed and decided to “fight the algorithms.

“I’m going up and down my feed, there’s so many things that I’m not following that’s just suggestion, suggestion, suggestion, so stupid me, let’s unfollow everybody and see if it helps.

“It didn’t help, somebody caught wind of that, and said: ‘Oh, I unfollowed all my teammates.’

“That’s it, nothing more, nothing less man. It’s going to take more than a couple bad shooting games for me to lose my mind.”

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