The Toronto Raptors center rotation has been a huge talking point all season, not always for the right reasons. Jakob Poeltl has missed almost half the season with back injuries, and the team did not have a true backup to replace him.
Darko Rajakovic turned to rookie Collin Murray-Boyles to fill most of the minutes at center when Poeltl was out. Although a bit undersized, Murray-Boyles did an admirable job and showed flashes of potential that should have Raptors fans salivating.
Jakob Poeltl has been in the lineup for the past couple months and Murray-Boyles has returned to a full-time bench role. However, these two are still closely intertwined and completely change how Toronto plays depending on which player is on the floor.
Toronto thrives offensively with Poeltl, but defensively with CMB
Toronto’s most-used five-man lineup this season, by far, has been their starters: Quickley, Barrett, Ingram, Barnes, and Poeltl. That lineup has been crushing opponents to a +7.5 net rating. That would rank fifth in the league over the course of a full season.
The defining trait of that lineup is their offense. They score 123.1 points per 100 possessions when they play together. For context, the Denver Nuggets lead the league in offensive efficiency at 121.1 points per 100 possessions.
If you swap Poeltl for Murray-Boyles, the net rating drops to +4.1 (which would rank ninth in the league). However, the offense drops to a horrendous 109.9 points per 100 possessions. Toronto is still successful with a starters + CMB lineup because they turn into a stifling defensive unit.
Lineup data and net ratings can be noisy at times, but these are Toronto’s two most-used lineups, so there is a large sample size to draw from. The takeaway is clear: Toronto thrives offensively with Poeltl but gives some of that back on defense, and Toronto struggles to score with Murray-Boyles but becomes a suffocating defensive group.
Matchups will decide how these two are used
Toronto should use this contrast as a weapon.
There will be games where shutting down the opposing team’s offense gives Toronto a clear advantage, that is when coach Rajakovic should turn to Murray-Boyles. When Toronto needs to break through offensively, it should be Poeltl’s time for heavier minutes.
When playing in the playoffs, it is critical to be fluid with your style of play. Toronto’s center rotation allows them to do that. The challenge will be knowing which version of this team to lean on when it matters most.