The Boston Celtics are sounding the alarm in the frontcourt, and the red light is flashing brightest on Chris Boucher. The 6’9 veteran forward, poached from the Raptors on a minimum deal this offseason, has crashed headfirst into irrelevance through four games. His stat line isn’t just ugly—it’s a five-alarm fire: six total points across the entire sample, every last one dumped in the season-opening loss to Philadelphia. Zero since. That’s not a slump; that’s a cliff dive.
Head coach Joe Mazzulla is already pulling the ripcord. Boucher logged 40.4 minutes over the first three contests, then a token three-minute cameo in Boston’s first win. The message is crystal clear: the 32-year-old is unplayable in a rotation that’s fighting for a repeat.
| Stat (4 games) | Boucher |
|---|---|
| MPG | 10.9 |
| PPG | 1.5 |
| RPG | 2.3 |
| BPG | 1.3 |
| FG% | 20% |
| 3PT | 0-6 |
| +/- | -11 |
That minus-11 in 43.5 total minutes is the loudest siren of all. Boston gets torched whenever he steps between the lines.
Raptors fans saw this movie and burned the reel. Boucher suited up for only 50 games last season on a rebuilding squad, posting a -0.6 net rating in his minutes. Toronto, his home for seven years, let him walk without a whimper. The Celtics thought they were getting a cheap flier on vertical spacing and rim protection. Instead, they imported a veteran mentor whose on-court impact expires the moment the jumper leaves his hand.
Neemias Queta, Xavier Tillman Sr., and Luka Garza aren’t exactly Hall of Fame roadblocks, yet Boucher can’t clear them. Questionable shots, leaky defense, and a parade to the foul line have turned every possession he touches into a adventure Boston can’t afford.
Four games is a small sample, sure. But the film doesn’t lie, and neither does the trend line Toronto watched erode over multiple seasons. At 32, Boucher isn’t “adjusting to new teammates”—he’s washed. Full stop.
Bench him. Glue him there. The Celtics are built to contend, not to babysit a feel-good story. Unless Boucher locates a fountain of youth that’s been missing since his Raptors prime, the rotation door swings one way: out. Beantown’s frontcourt crisis needs solutions, not liabilities. Code red demands decisive action, and Mazzulla can’t flinch.