Raptors big man Chris Boucher has earned a pair of end-of-season NBA G League honors, as the team issued a press release today announcing that Boucher has been named the NBAGL Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player of the Year.
Although Boucher is on Toronto’s 15-man roster now, he spent much of the season with the Raptors 905, either on assignment or as part of the two-way contract agreement he had with the team earlier in 2018/19.
Boucher put up huge numbers for the Raptors’ G League affiliate, averaging 27.2 PPG, 11.4 RPG, and an eye-popping 4.1 BPG in 28 games. In the club’s first-round playoff win over the Grand Rapids Drive, the 26-year-old nearly posted a triple-double, with 12 points, 12 rebounds, and nine blocks.
Adam Johnson of 2 Ways & 10 Days, who selected Boucher’s teammate Jordan Loyd as his MVP this season, tweets that he left Boucher off his own end-of-season awards because he only appeared in 28 games. NBA G League clubs play 50 regular season games, and a player must appear in 25 of them to qualify for the league’s awards.
When Boucher was promoted to the Raptors’ 15-man roster in February, he inked a two-year deal that includes a partially guaranteed salary for 2019/20, so Toronto will have the opportunity to keep him under contract next season at the minimum. If he sticks with the Raps for another season, he’d become eligible for restricted free agency in the summer of 2020.
Toronto’s player development is insane. They got the G league mvp from last year too I believe. It definitely shows as their bench is always formidable.
While I agree that Toronto’s player development is pretty good, their bench this year is anything but formidable. Bench mob was a one year thing.
Don’t mean nothing if you don’t win a championship
Athleticism must run in the family; look at his brother Bobby Boucher football exploits!
Plucked him from golden state. Canadian kid too, possibly a full time rotation guy next year
Theo