During a recent chat with Noa Dalzell of CelticsBlog, Payton Pritchard spoke highly of Chris Boucher, who signed with the Boston Celtics this summer. The two Celtics played a season together at Oregon when Pritchard was a freshman and Boucher was a sophomore. Pritchard believes Boucher will be a crucial piece of the Celtics’ lineup.
“He’s a high-energy guy,” Pritchard told Dalzell. “The plays he’ll be able to make are unbelievable at times. I do remember one thing from college – he never gets tired, so we should definitely use that, him running the floor. I think he’ll fit wonderfully, and we definitely need him.”
But what role will Boucher play?
How can Chris Boucher help the Celtics?
Boston is in a very tricky position heading into next season. Their big-man position is in a state of disarray, as they traded Kristaps Porzingis this summer while simultaneously losing Luke Kornet and (soon) Al Horford to free agency.
Neemias Queta is slated to be the team’s starting center next season, backed up by Luka Garza, Xavier Tillman, and rookie Amari Williams, who is on a two-way contract. That’s where Boucher will be needed most.
Though he is a bit undersized for the center position, listed at 6-foot-9 and 200 lbs, Boucher will give Boston a nice switch-up at the five spot.
Lineups that include some variation of Pritchard, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Sam Hauser, and Boucher could be some of the best the Celtics roll out onto the floor. The mix of floor spacing and athleticism will likely give them a pace advantage over a lot of teams around the league.
Boucher’s addition to the rotation also allows Joe Mazzulla to keep exploring the double-big lineups he liked to roll out last season. Only this time around, rather than having two of Horford, Kornet, and Porzingis on the court, he’ll probably throw out Boucher alongside Queta or Garza.
His three-point shooting and shot-blocking make him a very unique tool for the Celtics to deploy. On the other end, he’ll help the Celtics maintain their spacing, and on the other, he should be able to mimic the weakside help role that Porzingis (and before him, Robert Williams III) played.
Plus, Boucher’s presence in the Celtics’ rotation will give Mazzulla a veteran presence to turn to if Queta and/or Garza don’t live up to expectations.
Bringing him on board was perfect for what the Celtics need heading into next season.