Even when the Raptors struggled, there were some reasons for excitement: Ja’Kobe Walter’s emergence as an impactful rotational player with a much-needed 3-point shot and Collin Murray-Boyles’s quick adjustment to the NBA.
Murray- Boyles has only played 55 games because of a thumb injury that’s still bothering him. Nevertheless, he has been able to contribute to winning basketball and establish himself as a trusted part of Darko Rajakovic’s rotation despite being the youngest player on the court.
He has a very bright future and a pretty solid case for an All-Rookie Team selection—and that’s not just something Raptors fans believe.
Zach Lowe praised Murray-Boyles on the April 7 episode of The Zach Lowe Show. “He’s going to be one of the ten best rookies from this class and is playing winning basketball right now for the Raptors,” Lowe said.
He also added, “He’s just at like 1100 minutes and—and second team works fine. 1100 minutes, who cares? Put him in—I don’t know if he would make my team, but he’s making a late push for one of those slots.”
Lowe ended up revealing that he had Kon Knueppel, VJ Edgecombe, Cooper Flag, Dylan Harper, and Maxime Raynaud on his All-Rookie First Team and Ace Bailey, Derik Queen, Cedric Coward, Jeremiah Fears, and Will Riley on his second team. His guest, Rob Mahoney put Knueppel, Edgecombe, Flag, Harper, and Bailey on his first team, while Raynaud, Coward, Queen, Ryan Kalkbrenner, and Murray-Boyles all made his second team.
Collin Murray-Boyles has been great in his first season
Murray-Boyles is currently averaging 8.5 points, 5 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game. Numbers like that may not jump off the page, but don’t forget that he’s doing this as a 20-year-old reserve on a playoff team while playing through an injury. Those numbers also don’t reflect his defensive impact.
Murray-Boyles already looks like a very important piece of the Raptors’ future next to Scottie Barnes. They make for a very disruptive defensive duo.
Not many of the top rookies in the league can say that they are contributing to a winning team. Out of the players Lowe and Mahoney mentioned, only five play for competitive teams, including Murray-Boyles. Knueppel and Kalkbrenner are contributing to a Hornets team that’s well established as a play-in team in the Eastern Conference. Dylan Harper plays for the 61-19 Spurs, and Edgecombe is helping a 76ers team that’s currently locked in a close playoff race with the Raptors, Hawks, and Magic.
But it is also true that Murray-Boyles has played significantly fewer minutes than many other rookies making a push for a spot on an All-Rookie team. He only ranks 21st in total minutes played among rookies.