Collin Murray-Boyles’ trainer is convinced the 20-year-old defensive ace can become the next Draymond Green.
If you delve into the research on who pundits, analysts, and draft experts compared Collin Murray-Boyles to, you'll likely see frequent mentions of Julius Randle, Grant Williams, Aaron Gordon, and, of course, Draymond Green. But those Draymond comparisons aren’t just coming from outsiders; even those closest to Murray-Boyles’s camp, his inner circle, and CMB himself often echo the sentiment of modeling his game after the accomplished (though often controversial) defensive Warriors star.
Collin Murray-Boyles poised to replicate Draymond Green-like path
A recent in-depth piece by TSN Raptors insider Josh Lewenberg offers a clearer look into the mindset and motivations that drew Collin Murray-Boyles to the defensive side of basketball. In it, Lewenberg highlights the following stars who influenced CMB:
"A left-handed player himself, Murray-Boyles grew up watching and trying to emulate James Harden, but as his game started to take shape, his influences changed. He admired like-minded forwards such as Draymond Green, Aaron Gordon, Jalen Williams, Toumani Camara, and another player with famously big and quick hands, former Raptor Kawhi Leonard. He studied the way they used their length, physicality and anticipation, and how they balanced being aggressive without taking too many unnecessary risks."TSN's Josh Lewenberg, Aug 6, 2025
As the piece progresses, you'll encounter comments from Khadijah Sessions (Murray-Boyles' former AAU coach and longtime trainer), and the individual in his camp I mentioned at the start of this article. Sessions brings a wealth of basketball experience herself — she was a star point guard at South Carolina, Murray-Boyles' alma mater, and went pro in Finland, eventually representing the United States at the 2019 FIBA AmeriCup, as Lewenberg notes.
But this is where Sessions argues that Murray-Boyles is poised to follow in Draymond Green’s footsteps:
"He is more of the modern-day Draymond [Green] ... He is a defender, he can defend all positions, he can pass, he can set his teammates up … He’s going to be a better Draymond. He’s going to shoot better than him. He’s going to be able to score better than him. But it’s going to be over time and I think him playing behind Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram is going to bring a different monster out of him."Khadijah Sessions via TSN's Lewenberg
You have to respect someone so close to CMB for having such strong faith in his development, and Sessions' comments shouldn’t be taken lightly. She boldly proclaims that Murray-Boyles will become a better shooter and scorer, and believes that playing alongside vets like Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram will bring out the best in him.
I think, on the plane that Draymond Green has provided the Warriors’ dynasty — being their defensive anchor and enforcer, and resulting in a wealth of championship experience — I'd hope that CMB can eventually reach that kind of winning influence. I'm with Sessions on the idea that Murray-Boyles has a ton more upside as a scoring threat over Green, but it will ultimately be the results when CMB’s career is all said and done that will speak to his legacy.
And for that reason, I do think it’s a tall task, but I wouldn’t doubt that Murray-Boyles can work his way up that ladder ... even if I had a lot of worries about his game during the pre-draft process.