The Toronto Raptors have made some questionable decisions when it comes to contract extensions lately. Immanuel Quickley and Jakob Poeltl are both overpaid, and their massive contracts have presented challenges for the Raptors on the trade market. Moreover, they have had some missteps in the draft, like using a lottery pick on Gradey Dick whose 3-point shot hasn’t translated to the NBA quite yet.
But the front office has also made one genius decision when it drafted Collin Murray-Boyles ninth overall in 2025, as CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn outlined in his front office rankings on the Third Apron podcast. The Raptors came in nineteenth, right behind the Golden State Warriors and ahead of the Dallas Mavericks—Masai Ujiri’s new team.
“The biggest organizational win for Toronto in recent front office history was drafting Collin Murray-Boyles at number nine,” Quinn said. “I went back, and I looked at some of the mock drafts. The NBA has a consensus mock draft that it runs before the draft. None of the reputable mock drafts had CMB going before number 11, and many were much later. I would say right now, he was underdrafted. He should have gone higher. I think he has a chance to be an All-Star.”
The choice to draft Murray-Boyles should look even better next season. After an impressive playoff appearance as a rookie, Murray-Boyles has a chance to truly break out and become one of the NBA’s most impactful reserves—assuming Jakob Poeltl starts most of the season—and defenders.
Collin Murray-Boyles’s development will be one of the biggest Raptors storylines this season
There’s still a lot of uncertainty about the Raptors. Kawhi Leonard still isn’t officially on the roster and even when the trade is finally completed, his health and availability remain question marks.
One thing is for certain though: fans are hyped for Murray-Boyles’s second season in the NBA. He only played 57 regular-season games last season because of a thumb injury, but still closed out his first campaign with All-Rookie honors and a phenomenal playoff run.
The odds were stacked against the Raptors in the playoffs. Immanuel Quickley missed all seven games, Brandon Ingram struggled and eventually missed the last two games, and they lacked experience compared to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Still, the Raptors pushed the Cavs to seven games and proved that they were just a few pieces away from becoming a real problem in the Eastern Conference.
Murray-Boyles was a big reason for that success. He emerged as the Raptors’ third-leading scorer behind RJ Barrett and Scottie Barnes with 14.4 points per game. He also added 6.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game, and largely outplayed Jakob Poeltl despite his lack of size against Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
After that seven-game stretch, excitement for his second NBA season is great. He will be the Raptors’ sixth man and an integral part of any success they find with Leonard in the mix. If healthy, Murray-Boyles has a real shot at taking a significant leap and playing his way into the Sixth Man of the Year and All-Defensive team conversations.
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