While Chris Boucher would rather have been playing in the Raptors‘ first three games, the veteran forward/center found a silver lining in having to sit out with a hamstring injury, as Doug Smith of The Toronto Star relays.
“To be honest with you, I feel like it was good for me just to see what I can bring to the team, sitting down and watching,” Boucher said on Monday before returning to the Raptors’ lineup in Miami. “If I was playing and we were losing games, I probably wouldn’t see as much.”
Boucher got into quick foul trouble in his season debut on Monday, picking up five fouls in just 12 minutes of action. But he was effective in his limited role, scoring 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting in a Raptors victory.
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- The Raptors got a big night out of Precious Achiuwa against his old team on Monday, as he grabbed 22 rebounds against the Heat. While the team isn’t expecting regular 22-rebound nights from Achiuwa, head coach Nick Nurse wants to see him produce more consistently. “I always say you can play good, like one out of three games, right? It’s got to get bumped up to two out of four, then three out of five,” Nurse said, per Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. “No one is going to play great every night but we got to start making some progression where there’s some consistency there.”
- Nets sharpshooter Seth Curry, who continues to work his way back from offseason ankle surgery, is getting closer to making his season debut, according to head coach Steve Nash. “(Curry) traveled and we’re just monitoring him still. He’s doing well,” Nash said on Monday, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “I’d say he’s out for Wednesday, but we’ll see whether Thursday, Saturday or the subsequent games. It’s coming soon.”
- After averaging an NBA-low 11.3 bench points in their first three games (all losses), the Sixers got 36 points from their reserves in their first win of the season over Indiana on Monday, as Joel Embiid and James Harden worked to get the bench players involved, writes Rich Hofmann of The Athletic.
- In an in-depth profile, Chris Mannix of SI.com takes a closer look at Celtics interim head coach Joe Mazzulla, including revisiting his arrests as a student at West Virginia in 2008 and 2009. “I’m not perfect,” Mazzulla said. “I made the mistakes. I’ve worked to reinvent myself. I know who I am and I know the mistakes that I made. It’s important to be secure about that if you want to be authentic with people.””
Youre not gonna hear alot about Pascal Siakam in national media but he is gonna be (or at least should be) in the mvp discussion all season long. He carried Toronto to that win last night with his dominant floor game down the stretch. P is a top10 player in the world rn & if Precious continues to develop they could have 1 of the best frontcourts in the East without even having to mortgage their future for Rudy like their neighbors in Minnesota
Which of these talented pgs would you rather have as your lead guard for the next 3yrs, Tyrese Maxey, Jalen Brunson, Jordan Poole, Fred Van Vleet or De’Aaron Fox? Rank a top3 if possible..
Poole
Fox
Brunson
Aint this guy the best passer, shooter, leader & defender of the group tho?.. link to m.youtube.com
1.Van Vleet- He’s the best all around player of the 5 you listed.
2. Brunson- Defense could use some work but can do everything the others can do but is a better leader and playmaker than Fox, Poole or Maxey.
3. Fox- Same as Brunson with poorer defense and he’s shot much better since the Sabonis trade.
I will once again go with the Chicago guys that I know, and will agree with you.
1. Fred Van Vleet
2. Jalen Brunson
Van Vleet and Brunson are the only two who elevate the play of the others on the floor.
Maxey, Poole and Fox are purely scorer’s.
Steady Freddy for sure is # 1, then Jalen Brunson