DENVER The Raptors run Khem Birch out every game because they know what he gives them, and if it’s not numbers they don’t really care.
They give the veteran centre playing time because he knows how to play, because he’s been around a while and understands what this team needs from him.
He’s as appreciative of it as his coaches are appreciative of him.
“Honestly, I feel like with any other team I probably wouldn’t even be playing right now,” said Birch. “The fact that they just have that type of confidence in me despite all the injuries I’ve had, all the setbacks, and I’m still getting minutes tells a lot about how they feel about me, and it gives me a lot of confidence to keep going despite my injury.