With Kristaps Porzingis’ commerce to the Atlanta Hawks, the Celtics needed to let go of their unicorn. KP’s distinctive talent set introduced the Celtics two of a very powerful issues in basketball: spacing and rim safety. Chris Boucher, coming from the Toronto Raptors, will now attempt to step into Porzingis’ sneakers. At 6-foot-9, and with a 34% profession common from past the arc, will he be capable of change into the subsequent Porzingis?
What will probably be his position offensively?
Primarily based on his taking pictures map, thirty-seven p.c of his makes an attempt got here on the rim, 22% from the corners, and 47% from past the arc total. Every so often, we are going to see him launching just a few floaters, however largely leap photographs from three and makes an attempt on the rim.
His leap photographs from three are all the time assisted. He will probably be a catch-and-shoot menace however gained’t be capable of pull up or create his personal area to punish opponents from deep. The primary pivot level will probably be: can he drag opposing facilities away from the rim? Trying again, there are notable doubts about that, and that is most likely why Boston signed him to solely a one-year contract.
Initially, he isn’t all the time guarded past the road, particularly on the weak facet, as a result of his taking pictures movement is gradual and opponents can get well. Furthermore, his lack of ability to assault along with his measurement makes it straightforward for groups to assign a wing or a guard to defend him on the perimeter, because it’s unlikely that he’ll bully them to the rim.
Nonetheless, metrics point out that he has had a optimistic impression on his workforce’s spacing over the previous few years. Toronto’s FG% on the rim elevated from 61.7% to 65.3% when he was on the court docket final 12 months, and from 66.9% to 69.9% the 12 months earlier than. This stays a small pattern over two years on a tanking workforce, however the numbers are encouraging and counsel that Chris might have a optimistic impression on the Celtics’ spacing.
Whereas his taking pictures has been probably the most coated a part of his offensive talent set lately, Chris Boucher has a secret weapon that would justify much more the Celtics’ option to signal him.
Boucher’s secret weapon
Whereas his taking pictures would possibly convey again some Porzingis flashbacks, Boucher’s offensive impression would possibly truly be nearer to Luke Kornet’s in some areas—particularly on the glass.
Over his profession, his groups have persistently been much better on the offensive glass when he was on the ground. Final season, for instance, the offensive rebound fee went from 27.6% to 33.8%. When Chris was on the court docket, the Toronto Raptors grabbed an offensive rebound on multiple out of each three missed photographs. And this has been the case all through his whole profession.
With the rising significance of offensive rebounds over the previous few seasons, this may very well be an important choose for the Celtics to generate extra possessions on the offensive finish.
His taking pictures capacity could be much less impactful than anticipated, and he gained’t add a lot to offensive creation, however his vitality on the glass may very well be sport altering in some conditions. In a 5-out setup or subsequent to a different large man, be able to see Chris Boucher leaping on each miss to increase possessions and rating on putbacks.
After taking a look at what his offensive impression may very well be, let’s dive into what he would possibly convey on the opposite finish of the ground.
What can he convey on protection?
His measurement and size are spectacular, however that doesn’t make him an important rim protector. He averages just one block per 36 minutes, and in keeping with NBA monitoring, he decreased his direct opponents’ rim effectivity by simply 1%—ten occasions lower than gamers like Luke Kornet and Kristaps Porzingis.
Nonetheless, he has defensive upside because of his mobility and size. Defensively, we would discover him in a scenario much like Jayson Tatum’s: lurking off-ball on the nail, studying the sport from the weak facet, and able to leap on a lifeless ball or intercept a weak go.
He can even be capable of match into switch-everything defensive protection, although he could be too skinny to take care of the larger our bodies of the league. Utilizing him as a wrecking ball on protection, with excessive mobility, may very well be the important thing to exploiting his measurement and size. However will he have the motor and vitality to deal with this demanding defensive position? Time will inform.
Chris Boucher most likely gained’t be the subsequent unicorn. His taking pictures isn’t as elite as Porzingis’, neither is his rim safety. However his distinctive talent set and physique might nonetheless convey one thing new to the Celtics. Joe Mazzulla has typically talked about how a lot the possession battle issues to him, and Chris Boucher would possibly simply be the proper match to assist the Celtics win that battle on the court docket.
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