Collin Murray-Boyles was named to the NBA’s All-Rookie Second Team alongside Derik Queen, Ace Bailey, Maxime Raynaud, and Jeremiah Fears. Dylan Harper, Cooper Flagg, VJ Edgecombe, Kon Knueppel, and Cedric Coward made up the All-Rookie First Team.
Seeing Murray-Boyles on the second team is great for the Raptors. Their last draft pick to receive All-Rookie honors was Scottie Barnes back in 2022. They made the right choice with their lottery pick after a few lower selections that didn’t pan out.
And yet, there’s a feeling that there could have been more. Ten-time All-Star Carmelo Anthony felt the same and argued that Murray-Boyles should have been on the All-Rookie First Team because he played a significant role for a playoff team.
Carmelo Anthony believes Collin Murray-Boyles should’ve been All-Rookie First Team:
— Omer Osman (@OmerOsman200) May 22, 2026
“This is a kid who nobody was expecting anything from. He go out there in Toronto, help those guys make the Playoffs, compete in the Playoffs, and he played a very, very big role on the Toronto… https://t.co/nqKoAYxCcf pic.twitter.com/YdIVXdArw3
It’s a strong argument. After all, how many other rookies were able to play a key role for a playoff team? The answer is two when we’re looking at the All-Rookie teams. Murray-Boyles, of course, played a key role off the bench for the Raptors in their first-round series. VJ Edgecombe averaged the second-most minutes for a Philadelphia 76ers team that went to the Eastern Conference Semifinals, and Dylan Harper is currently starting for the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals.
Murray-Boyles missed a bunch of games with a thumb injury, which might have made some voters reluctant to put him on the All-Rookie First Team, but, impact-wise, he was unquestionably one of the best rookies in the NBA this season.
In the end, all that matters is the fact that the Raptors nailed their pick
All-Rookie honors are great, and Murray-Boyles deserved to be recognized for his smooth transition to the NBA and ability to make an immediate difference. And yet, what matters more than whether he should have been named to the All-Rookie First team instead, is his potential and the Raptors’ bright future.
Murray-Boyles didn’t need long to establish himself as a building block for the Raptors and someone they shouldn’t even consider giving up in a big offseason trade. Despite his youth, fans quickly came to trust him more at the center position than veteran Jakob Poeltl—even in the playoffs.
The 20-year-old still has ways to go offensively, but the long-term vision of him and Scottie Barnes on the defensive end is already thrilling. Barnes is one of the most versatile and disruptive defenders in the league. He can guard any position and was the only player to finish the regular season with at least 100 blocks and 100 steals.
Murray-Boyles fits a very similar archetype. He is athletic and physical enough to clash with bigs in the paint, but he can also switch on guards. In the playoffs, he mostly matched up with Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, but he also guarded James Harden for 48.4 partial possessions.
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