In a world of doom and gloom for the Toronto Raptors, it is still important to be optimistic and find something to grasp onto as a silver lining.
From the Raptors' Wednesday night meltdown against the Denver Nuggets, my biggest positive takeaway is that Collin Murray-Boyles should be this team's starting center moving forward. Yes, Jakob Poeltl likely wasn’t 100 percent going into that game against Denver, but the energy CMB brought from the opening tip, along with the switchability he provides, is what this team needs at the start of every game.
Obviously, there are going to be moments when the Raptors struggle with CMB starting from a size perspective, but his defensive activity and the way he hits the boards help offset being undersized.
I am kind of shocked that, eight games into their season, I’m taking the stance that Murray-Boyles should be starting at the five because I was far from sold on the idea of him even playing the backup five. That was also because I was wildly optimistic Jakob Poeltl could hold things down, which aged horribly. But with Leonard out of the lineup, they need as much of the energy, added rim protection, and turnover generation that CMB brings as possible.
CMB gives the Raptors what Jakob Poeltl currently can't
Even though Nikola Jokic had a monster game and his 15-point third quarter was the boost Denver needed to take over the game and kill any hope of a Raptors win, I thought CMB did a solid job on him. The minutes where he was guarding Jokic, as opposed to the minutes where Jak was, were drastically different. The way Murray-Boyles moved his feet allowed him to fly out to the perimeter at times and then recover right back to the rim. It also helped neutralize some of the Nuggets' off-ball cutting actions where Jokic is essentially acting as a quarterback looking to hit a receiver.
He also handles ball-screen actions much better because his athletic tools are superior to Jak’s, and he is capable of switching onto the ball handler and then recovering to the basket. Seeing the Raptors roll out a five-man unit that was switchable one through five was something I really enjoyed, and I really don’t want to go back to watching Poeltl play drop coverage to start games.
Don’t get me wrong, the obvious draw to starting CMB is the defensive side of the ball, but even what he brings offensively can really help this group get out of a funk. Against Denver, he put up an efficient 13 points, three rebounds, and two assists while knocking down a three.
They didn’t all result in assists, but against the Nuggets, he did an excellent job playmaking from the post and the nail. His feel for the game and ability to make quick reads as a passer can help Toronto get some of their flow back offensively in the half-court. Pair those playmaking chops with his willingness to crash the glass and him slowly becoming a shooter defenses have to respect, and there is a clear vision for him becoming an X-factor for the Raptors offensively.
I’m not saying he has to start the next 74 games or that this has to be a permanent role for him when Leonard returns. But right now the coaching staff needs to shake something up, and Murray-Boyles’ last two games felt like a clear sign that he should be starting for at least the next little while.
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