How Boucher, Achiuwa and McDaniels could take minutes off Raptors bench

On the latest Strictly Hoops, Amit Mann and C.J. Miles discuss how Chris Boucher, Precious Achiuwa and Jalen McDaniels could find stable minutes off the bench if they show consistency in a few key areas. Watch the full episode on our Yahoo Sports Canada YouTube channel or listen on the 'Raptors Over Everything' podcast feed.

Video Transcript

[MUSIC] Hey, what's it like to see the moment, to feel yourself growing? This is greatness that I'm showing. Close your eyes, I'm still glowing. Close the door, I'm still going. This is grand business. Have a seat and be a witness. Hey, what's it like?

AMIT MANN: And we're talking about Darko breaking the habits and also dealing with the offense that like, let's be honest, it's not conducive to point five basketball because of the spacing limitations.

CJ MILES: Exactly.

AMIT MANN: We can't forget about that.

CJ MILES: I'm trying to create something.

AMIT MANN: Yeah.

CJ MILES: With not-- with not--

AMIT MANN: A foundation.

CJ MILES: With not--

AMIT MANN: With not the ideal pieces, yeah.

CJ MILES: With not the best soil, right? I'm trying to grow an apple tree. I got plenty of water. Like we want it.

AMIT MANN: You're dealing with apple juice.

CJ MILES: Yeah, I don't have the best, all the tools I need to do it right now. Like that's no shot at the players that are on this team. They know that. They know they're not 3-point shooters, the ones, some of them. They know their limitations, or they should, at least, because that's what drives you to work more is knowing your limitations.

If you don't know your limitations, you don't know what to work on. So that's a problem in itself. That's another life gem for everybody. Figure out what your limitations are, so you can figure out how to get better.

AMIT MANN: Ooh, bar.

CJ MILES: Sorry.

AMIT MANN: No, that's all right.

CJ MILES: My dad's a preacher. I'm sorry. No, but I didn't really mean, I'm sorry. I'm not really sorry.

AMIT MANN: Yeah, no, it's a bar. It's a good line.

CJ MILES: But no.

AMIT MANN: It's absolutely true. Yeah.

CJ MILES: It's true in what we're doing, right? Like understand, all right, we need more shooters. And this is the thing. So if I'm on this team, and I'm looking at this, and we don't have it, what do I start doing? I start shooting like a mad man every day, especially if I'm not playing. Because if I start making shots in the time I get, if I start shooting 39-40%, guess what's going to happen to me.

I'm going to get minutes, because I'm providing something that nobody provides. You got to come to me to get me, right? Like I'm not going to be like nobody else. I'm not going to do what he does. I'm going to be able to do some of the things he does and provide something that he doesn't provide. Just being what he is and thinking I should play over him is not enough.

Like I'm athletic, I'm athletic, too. I got wingspan too, project six nine, I fit it. But what do you provide outside of the things that the guys already here provide?

AMIT MANN: Yeah. And Jalen McDaniels, Precious Achiuwa, Chris Boucher, it's there for you.

CJ MILES: Man, if I'm them, I'm shooting like a mad man every day. We know Chris Boucher has the skill set to be able to make shots. He's proven he can do it. But he's proven, he's proven, no, he's done it in games. Like these other guys are trying to figure it out.

They're trying to figure out opportunities. I'm them guys. And I want you to see me shooting. I'm there before practice. I'm there after practice. I'm like, hey, coach, I want to get my feet better to be able to shoot on the move. I want to know, because I need to know what we need.

I can't help anything, or I can't take anything forward if I don't know what it's made of so I can know what it's missing. Like if you were cooking a meal, I can't add anything to it if I don't know what's in it. I can't make it better.

I can't know if it needs salt if I don't know what's already been put in it, if I don't taste it, if I don't go through it. If I come in and just add salt, then it's just cause, I'm just going to-- I'm just putting what's already in there. We didn't need that. Now nobody wants to eat the soup. Like--

AMIT MANN: The answer is chili sauce, OK? That's what you always need. And in this case, what the Raptors need is 3-point shooting. So you got to offer the chili sauce.

CJ MILES: And I know that.

AMIT MANN: That's what they need.

CJ MILES: So aka that's the running joke for the year, chili sauce, for 3-point shooting. Chili sauce is 3-point shooting for the rest of the season.

AMIT MANN: Yeah.

CJ MILES: Somebody go to the store and get some chili sauce.

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