Chris Boucher: The Raptors need more seasonal tires

On the latest Hustle Play, Chris Boucher uses a tire analogy to describe the types of players the Toronto Raptors are missing. Watch the full episode on our Yahoo Sports Canada YouTube channel or listen on the podcast feed.

Video Transcript

- Aside from Norman Powell, they have Terance Mann and Eric Gordon.

CHRIS BOUCHER: Yeah, they're nice, too.

- Bones Hyland and all that kind of stuff.

CHRIS BOUCHER: Plumlee.

- I want to go back to-- and Plumlee. But I want to go back to when you look at this Raptors team in comparison. Like, we went with a lot of forwards this year. Kind of an experiment, right. They were kind of seeing what it would look like.

CHRIS BOUCHER: Yeah.

- How do you feel about it now?

CHRIS BOUCHER: About the six, nine thing you were talking about?

- Yeah.

CHRIS BOUCHER: I think we didn't use it the right way, maybe. I think it's still possible. I think some games, you use it. Some games, you just don't. Some games, you might have to go more what team goes with, the more the structure that team goes for and got all the way to the center, and you go like that. And some games, you just know that you could go six, nine, and just beat a team up.

And like some games, man, you just see, like, OK, that team is small, man. I'm just going to get rebounds, and we're going to kill them that way. And some teams, they're small, and you can't go to six, nine anymore, because, obviously, like, for example, not that they're small, but like a team like Milwaukee. Like, you can have six, nines everywhere, but they got six, nine, too, and they got shooters.

So, like, now you got Giannis and Brook who is kind of matching the six, nine thing with us, but then they got Grayson Allen and Covington who's shooting, and then they got Jrue Holiday. So now that six, nine is not working as much, because you do have the same size almost, but they got better shooters. But if you play a team like-- I don't know-- Miami, for example, where they got Jimmy Butler and the only big guy is Bam, you might get a lot more rebound over there shooters like Tyler Herro, and Jimmy, and all that. That would work a lot better. I think that works like that.

- Yeah, I mean, I think there's more positions than we actually talk about right now. Like, Rashad Phillips is a guy. I'm not sure if you ever heard of him before. But he talks a lot about point forwards, and hybrid guards, and all that kind of stuff. Do you agree that like the basketball definitions of players need to change, aside from the typical point guard, shooting guard, small forward?

CHRIS BOUCHER: I mean, OK. You how I see this? So do you know how there's, like, winter wheels, summer wheels, and fourth season wills, right? If you get the fourth season wheel, you might slip in the winter, and you might mess it up. But you still got both. It still do both seasons. It's good in the rain, it's good in the winter, it's good in the summer a little bit. But it's not better than the winter wheels. Right?

So if you get a player who is fourth season, but he gives you 25 of shooting, 25 of rebound, 25 of offense, he's not going to be better than a 50% defense player.

- So for example, OG Anunoby is your all season tire.

CHRIS BOUCHER: He's an all season tire. No, actually no. He has, actually, both. Like, he has 50% of offense, 50% of the defense. He's going to give you 100 on defense, or 100 on-- that's why he's the perfect tire. But for me, I'm all winter in the summer, or I'm all summer in the winter. You get what I'm saying? So it goes it could go good or bad.

- So come May, we have to change you out of there.

CHRIS BOUCHER: I have to be a fourth season guy where I'm able to be in every situation.

- I'm following you here.

CHRIS BOUCHER: You get what I'm saying? So, like, for example, I, if I'm all offensive, then we need defense. I'm a winter and summer. What the fuck are you doing? Right?

- But it might depend on the car, too.

CHRIS BOUCHER: But if I'm a-- if I'm a winter--

- Does it have four wheel drive?

CHRIS BOUCHER: Fuck the car. If I'm a winter, if I'm a winter, I'm a winter wheel right now. Right?

- Yes.

CHRIS BOUCHER: And we're in the winter, I'm excelling. So if we need defense and I'm playing my best defense, we're going to be great. But if we need offense right now, and I'm not shooting well, we're fucked.

- So even in the winter, you can still accelerate.

CHRIS BOUCHER: Yeah, but I might crash if I'm a summer wheel. That's what I'm saying. You get what I'm saying?

- I do, actually.

CHRIS BOUCHER: You guys get what I'm saying? Right? OK, I thought so, too. Like, you could be all four and be good for every season, or you can be winter, a summer, and be good some nights, and be bad some nights, because sometimes it's summer. Sometimes it's winter. There you go. We need all seasons and different positions. So now you got different wheels for different days.

- You are a national treasure, sir.

CHRIS BOUCHER: Shit. I think that was a good analogy.

- It was fantastic, actually. I follow you on that.

CHRIS BOUCHER: What do you think, E?

- That's what's up.

CHRIS BOUCHER: Do you get it? Thanks, man.

- Hey.

CHRIS BOUCHER: I thought that was a good one.