On the latest Hustle Play, Chris Boucher explains why he thinks players off the Raptors bench should have received more playing time throughout the season. He also weighs in on Masai Ujiri saying he disliked watching the Raptors. Full episode will be posted on Wednesday.

Video Transcript

CHRIS BOUCHER: Some guys in the league, like I would say like I don't even respect their game. Like some, everybody in the league, you've got players that you don't respect. But I feel like you see him play with somebody else and you're like, he's really good in what he's doing right now. Like you to get to love his game a lot better. And that's because of who he's playing with.

You know, like a guys like Utah, I really love his game. Like I loved his game when he was here. But I never saw the level of shooting that he had here until when he got to Brooklyn. And I was like, he had it here. Like he had a little shooting. And I was like, he could shoot the ball but over there, I was like, damn, Utah really have a shot, you know.

And those are players like that, Oshae, when he was here he was really good. But I never seen like how he could put it all together. When he went to the Pacers it was just out there.

MIKE ROACH: So you mention a guy like Utah, a guy like Oshae. They switch teams, they get a bit more playing time. Do you think there was anybody you would have liked to see more off the bench--

CHRIS BOUCHER: This year?

MIKE ROACH: On the Raptors this year.

CHRIS BOUCHER: Everybody. I feel like, to be honest with you, if you were to get the chance to watch practice and, you know, the training camp that we had this year, everybody came and would like a difference to their game, you know. Like I think everybody had expectation this year, everybody definitely went the summer, last summer, and working, was expecting, you know, we went to LA and everybody was like, doing really well. Like if you watch the clips and all, it's hard work that guys were putting in.

And then during the season I feel like not everybody got the chances. And obviously that takes out different players, different places. Obviously like you know me back then, if I didn't play, like it probably would get me mad to want to work more. But some people are just different. You know some people--

MIKE ROACH: Well, Masai did mention it as well in his presser, that he didn't want to see a few more guys off that bench get some run.

CHRIS BOUCHER: Yeah. Well, he's used to that.

MIKE ROACH: Just because of development, right?

CHRIS BOUCHER: Yeah, I mean, listen, Masai is all about inside and like inside growth, you know what I'm saying. Like and obviously he's always been like that. That's how you got guys like Fred, guys like Norman, guys like me, guys like Pascal, that's all Masai. You know, Masai already he finds the guys that he knows that they want to get better, that wants to win, and like he believes in those guys, you know what I'm saying.

So I think he believed in me extremely for me to get where I'm at, because there's a lot of things that happened during the years, and that you could be like, you know what, Chris, you're not to fit. But he believed in me every time. And I got better every time. So I feel like he has those same beliefs in some of the guys off the bench.

And usually when he believes in something he's right, you know what I'm saying. So it's hard if he gets a first rounder here, a second rounder here, whatever. And he feels like OK, those guys are going to help us and they don't get to play. I think maybe that will definitely start some issues between a coach and a GM, if that's the case.

MIKE ROACH: Now he mentioned that, you know, this is not a team he enjoyed watching this season.

CHRIS BOUCHER: Yeah.

MIKE ROACH: They weren't fun to watch. The vibe wasn't there.

CHRIS BOUCHER: Yeah.

MIKE ROACH: Why? Why? That's what us Raptors fans--

CHRIS BOUCHER: Have you guys ever seen a team that's losing that has a vibe?

MIKE ROACH: That is true. That is true.

CHRIS BOUCHER: I mean, like I've never seen a team that just celebrates losing, or are just cool together when they're losing.

MIKE ROACH: But you weren't terrible, though. Like it wasn't like you're--

CHRIS BOUCHER: You're not winning, though. That's the problem. It's like if every time you get three wins and everybody's happy, and the vibe is there, people are singing and all that. And then you lose five in a row, you know, you completely forget three games. You know how one game could change the whole aspect of somebody or a team? You know, like you win against Charlotte two games. OK, who gives a [MUTED] about Charlotte right now, right?

MIKE ROACH: Yeah.

CHRIS BOUCHER: OK, cool, then after that, you go to Boston, lose by 20, that's what the game that everybody's looking.

MIKE ROACH: Yeah, 100%.

CHRIS BOUCHER: You know what I'm saying? Everybody's like, OK, shit, OK, you beat Charlotte. That's not good this year, that's struggling, that are trying to find a way to get their player or whatever. LaMelo is hurt. Like they're going through their business, right? OK, so you beat them to a depleted team.

That's cool, you beat almost a G League. Then after that, you go to the-- no, they're for real. Like those guys are not, they're not playing. And then after that, you go and you go to play Philly or Boston. And Jayson Tatum, Jayson Tatum. Now we're talking about a playoff team, right?

MIKE ROACH: Yeah.

CHRIS BOUCHER: You get destroyed by 20.

MIKE ROACH: Yeah.

CHRIS BOUCHER: That's the game that everybody focuses on.

MIKE ROACH: You damn right. That's a problem.

CHRIS BOUCHER: And then who looked like a G League team that game? Us. We didn't play well and of 20 in that first game, we all looked like we couldn't play, right? And we all know we could play. Me, Fred, Pascal, Fresh, everybody on this locker room knows they could play. If we go to Boston lose by 20, that hurts.