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Wednesday update — Boucher will play in Wednesday night’s season opener vs. the Wizards. The big man wasn’t expected to be back for the start of the season, as Josh Lewenberg alludes to in his tweet below. This is good news for the Raptors, who enter an interesting transition season. The team is no longer contending but has players to develop and still a few All-Star caliber starters in Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam.
Chris Boucher's finger was dislocated in a collison with Precious Achiuwa during a scrimmage in practice earlier this month. Initial timeline after surgery was 3-4 weeks, so he's ahead of schedule. Said he's feeling good, no pain, no restrictions. He'll play in tonight's opener.
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) October 20, 2021
Toronto Raptors PF/C Chris Boucher (finger) is listed as questionable to play in the team’s season opener vs. the Washington Wizards on Wednesday. Boucher did not play at all in the preseason as he was nursing a dislocated left middle finger injury.
Last season, the 28-year-old big man had a career-year for the Raptors, averaging 13.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks in 24.2 minutes per game. He also shot 51.4% from the field and 38.3% from three-point range on 3.9 attempts per game.
With no Boucher in the preseason, it led to Khem Birch and second-year forward Precious Achiuwa receiving additional minutes. Achiuwa will likely play a significant role on this team as they got him, along with Goran Dragic from the Miami Heat in exchange for Kyle Lowry in the offseason. The Raptors are currently 2.5 point favorites and listed at -140 odds on the moneyline over the Wizards.