Chris Boucher’s new role may have come as a surprise to some Oregon basketball fans.
Sports Illustrated featured Boucher on the regional cover of its college basketball season preview, but now he’s not in Oregon’s starting lineup. Instead, he’s become one of the best sixth men in the country.
After five straight games coming off the bench, Boucher and head coach Dana Altman discussed his role before the most recent game against Oregon State.
“[Boucher] came up to me before the game and said, ‘Coach, I don’t know what you’re going to do with the starting lineup, but if you want to bring me off the bench, that’s great,’” Altman said.
Going from the starting five to the bench can be a challenging transition. But during Boucher’s five games off the bench, there has been little to no drop off in production. His unselfishness has his team thriving in Pac-12 play.
Dillon Brooks has started in the power forward position since Boucher went down with an injury before conference play began. With Boucher out, Brooks became a forward with Jordan Bell, while Dylan Ennis started at guard along with Payton Pritchard and Tyler Dorsey.
Over the last five games, Oregon has used this lineup 20.6 percent of the time, according to KenPom.com. During this period, the Ducks are undefeated, and many believe they are playing their best basketball.
Boucher is averaging roughly three fewer minutes per game in his new role . He accounts for 45 percent of the team’s minutes at power forward and 11 percent at center. Out of Oregon’s six most popular lineup combinations throughout the last five games, Boucher is featured in five of them. He is still playing a major role with the Ducks despite a change in starting status.
“It’s awfully difficult,” Altman said. “We have 10 guys who are good basketball players and who want to play. It’s been tough for those guys. They have to make a decision. What’s more important? Team and winning, or individual things?”
On the year, Boucher is averaging 13.7 points a game on 58 percent shooting, with 6.9 rebounds per game. In his new role off the bench, Boucher’s stat line reads 12.8 points a game on 56 percent shooting and 4.8 rebounds per game. Overall, a small drop off in performance is impressive considering he is adjusting to an entirely new role.
During this time, Oregon is averaging an impressive 85 points per game. Defensively, the Ducks have held opponents to 63 points per game on average. Over the last five games, the Ducks rank No. 1 in the Pac-12 in both offensive and defensive efficiency, according to KenPom.com.
“A lot of us are new, so a lot of us are still learning to play with each other,” Pritchard said. “We’re just getting into the groove and we’re still making strides.”
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