Collin Murray-Boyles might have initially spooked me coming out of the 2025 NBA Draft because of his lack of a three-point shot and limited offensive versatility, but it was at least encouraging to see the youngster suit up at NBA Summer League and give a sneak preview of what he could bring to the Raptors moving forward. Needless to say, I and many others in the basketball discussion communities were impressed.
Murray-Boyles' defense is legit as it gets, and it was that element of his game on full display in Vegas when he shined brightest that had everyone raving about his ability to impact team play. Murray-Boyles might make your team's spacing clunky or what have you (as I feared initially), but if he can provide that defensive intensity night in and night out, then the Raptors' bold draft decision would ultimately pay off.
Collin Murray-Boyles has the tools to earn rookie honors — but it will take work
I mean, there were definitely some concerns regarding Scottie Barnes' ability to be an impact player right from the start when he joined Toronto in 2021. Everyone knew that he was this defensive ace, but his eventual Rookie of the Year campaign showed that Scottie Barnes was actually a versatile weapon at the Raptors' disposal. Now, I’m not exactly saying that Murray-Boyles is going to be an exact replica of Barnes' early success in Toronto, as concerns would arise regarding the Raptors potentially backed into a corner regarding playing CMB: do they simply rely on his defensive specialist capabilities, or are his offensive limitations going to cut his rookie role down to a minimum?
But I think I might have overlooked Murray-Boyles' purpose with the team. Sure, it would have been an absolute delight if he was already this talented shooter, but right now, CMB is just not that. Heck, even Scottie Barnes was a struggling three-point shooter in his first year and still took home top rookie honors.
I believe if the Raptors can show a combination of a winning record, dispel all doubts that Toronto won't even be a play-in team, and back up those wins with evidence of Collin Murray-Boyles impacting the game in every small way possible, then I have no doubt he’ll earn a spot on an All-Rookie team. If we're feeling super ambitious, maybe he even finds himself in those Rookie of the Year conversations.
If there's a player in recent rookie memory that I can see CMB mimicking in terms of his first-year showcase, it’s the Spurs' own versatile defensive star Jeremy Sochan. By no means is Sochan a reliable three-point shooter (that area still needs a lot of work), but he made his presence felt in a point forward role, something I believe Murray-Boyles could perhaps also serve well in.
Perhaps let's not come down on the rookie with such grand expectations that it would cause an uproar if he doesn't live up to them, but rather, to simply have faith in Collin Murray-Boyles' strengths based on what we know leading to end-of-season rookie honors for the Raptors' newest face ... it's definitely an optimistic way to look at things.