Chris Boucher Comes 6th in Most Improved Player Voting
Toronto Raptors player being in the Most Improved Player discussion has almost become commonplace these days.
Three years ago Pascal Siakam took home the league's MIP award. Last year both he and Fred VanVleet received votes for the award. This year, forward Chris Boucher finished sixth in MIP voting, the NBA announced Tuesday.
The 28-year-old Boucher jumped from an end-of-the-rotation forward for the Raptors in 2019-20 to a key rotation player an occasional starter for Toronto. He saw his scoring jump from 6.6 points per game two years ago to 13.6 points this past season with his shooting numbers and rebounding statistics taking an equally impressive jump. His season could have been even more impressive if not for an MCL sprain that kept him sidelined for 12 of the final 13 games of the season.
New York's Julius Randle took home the hardware earning 98 of 100 first-place votes. His year-over-year jump was astronomical with the Knicks who watched the 26-year-old become an All-Star and likely All NBA caliber player in 2020-21. He averaged 21.4 points, six assists, and just over ten rebounds per game while leading New York to the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference.
Jerami Grant, who finished second, was the only other player to receive first-place votes. He was followed by Michael Porter Jr. who collected the plurality of second-place votes.
The Raptors have Boucher singed to a non-guaranteed $7 million deal for next season.
Boucher also finished eighth in Sixth Man of the Year award voting.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly states Boucher finished seventh in Most Improved Player voting.
Further Reading
Chris Boucher finishes 8th in Sixth Man of the Year voting
Masai Ujiri wants a long-term commitment to success in his next contract
Kyle Lowry explains what's driving his free agency decision & Toronto might not fit that description
