After sorely missing within the positional group final season, the Toronto Raptors’ frontcourt is out of the blue beefed up.
The Raptors chosen versatile energy ahead Collin Murray-Boyles ninth total out of South Carolina on Wednesday night time, silencing rumours of them buying and selling away the choose for a short-term acquire and as a substitute going for a prospect they need to have the ability to mould for the long run.
Whereas Murray-Boyles wasn’t a extremely touted recruit, coming in because the 108th-best prospect within the class of 2023 per 247 Sports activities, he is constructed his inventory with constant play and excessive effort over his two years with the Gamecocks.
He took his sport to a different degree in his sophomore season, averaging 16.8 factors, 8.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks whereas ending with an SEC-leading 58.6 field-goal share and 59.9 efficient field-goal share.
Regardless of the Gamecocks struggling to a 12-20 file, with a 2-16 file in convention play, Murray-Boyles’ success helped him earn a spot on the All-SEC second staff and a top-10 choice on the draft. Not dangerous for a four-star, 108th-rated recruit.
The match is probably not apparent straight away, however nothing is for sure till everyone seems to be sharing the court docket. For now, here is a have a look at how Murray-Boyles might slot into the Raptors’ new type of basketball.
Age: 19Position: F/CHeight: Six-foot-sevenWeight: 239 poundsWingspan: Seven-foot-one
Versatile and hard defender
What is going to stand out most from Murray-Boyles’ tape, previous the strong offensive effectivity in his second NCAA season, might be simply how onerous he fights on defence.
Probably the second-best defender in his class after No. 1 choose Cooper Flagg, Murray-Boyles has the scale, energy and agility to change 2-through-5 and has the size to leap passing lanes when he is off the ball.
Whereas he could not have the peak to cope with seven-footers within the NBA, Murray-Boyles is adept at utilizing his physique and strong body to leverage his opponent on defence, making it onerous for back-to-the-basket bigs to again him down within the submit.
Couple that with a strong wingspan at seven-foot-one, an eight-foot-10 standing attain, and a strong 34.5-inch vertical leap, and he is received the bodily instruments to at the least trouble photographs from greater attackers.
He had some standout performances towards robust bigs final season, like towards Georgia when he held fellow 2025 draftee Asa Newell to 11 factors on 3-of-10 from the sphere or towards Auburn, when he shut down Wood Award finalist Johni Broome to the tune of six factors on 3-of-11.
He was deployed as a small-ball 5 lots at South Carolina, and whereas it is anticipated he might go well with up in an analogous function in spurts with the Raptors — akin to how Jonathan Mogbo did — Murray-Boyles’ energy comes from his versatility. Coupled alongside one other versatile and switchable defender in Scottie Barnes, the Raptors might have counters for any look on any night time.
Including to his bodily defensive items and high-level effort is his defensive IQ. He reads the play extremely nicely and makes use of his size and reflexes to disrupt them. He is normally on the proper place on the proper time, significantly when he is slotted low on the block or on rotations, making him a robust assist defender.
Huge-bodied offensive playmaker
As a result of he can match wherever on defence, the query turns into the place he can slot in on offence.
Whereas he put up some strong scoring numbers at South Carolina, lots of that needed to do together with his utilization price, which sat at 26.7 per cent — good for tenth within the SEC. He will not get practically that many seems to be within the NBA.
As an alternative, Murray-Boyles should discover his place as a complementary ball-mover and play-finisher.
Although he completed with 2.4 assists per sport, a strong mark for an enormous in faculty, he additionally gave up 2.4 turnovers. Nonetheless, these turnovers have been, lots of the time, a results of the Gamecocks forcing the ball into his arms as a result of they only did not have anybody else.
As a connective passer, Murray-Boyles sees the court docket nicely and all the time appears to make the correct play. The Raptors grew as a ball-moving staff final season, and the 20-year-old ought to solely add one other layer to that as a wise hub within the excessive or low submit.
His bodily attributes also needs to have the ability to translate on that finish, as he makes use of his robust body to bully smaller defenders to get to the rim, or leverages his measurement to get greater defenders off-balance. Regardless of being constructed like a linebacker, he has the physique management of an edge rusher, able to twisting round his mark to complete layups with a delicate contact.
The large concern for Murray-Boyles comes together with his capturing, as his 26.5 three-point share and his inconsistent kind depart quite a bit to be desired.
Toronto already struggled with spacing final season, capturing the third-fewest three-pointers within the league at 34 a sport and hitting solely 34.8 per cent — good for twenty third within the NBA.
When he and Barnes share the ground, the Raptors might be deploying two level forwards that, whereas they’re engaged on their photographs, merely aren’t dependable sufficient from vary to make a distinction.
As a result of he will get into the excessive submit quite a bit when establishing his staff’s offence, Murray-Boyles inherently clogs up the center, which means that the remainder of the Raptors will not have the room to cross and function by the centre that you simply’d hope for.
One instructed function for him on the perimeter is just like Draymond Inexperienced’s on the Warriors, the place the four-time champ has discovered a distinct segment in setting teammates up with dribble handoffs, utilizing his measurement to set a display screen behind the arc and dragging his defender up excessive to create the required house inside. Murray-Boyles is a greater than prepared screen-setter, so he might discover some consolation right here.
For now, it is a optimistic that Murray-Boyles understands his weak spot, mentioning in a post-draft interview with Taylor Rooks that his three-point shot is the world of his sport he is been engaged on.
His 70.7 per cent price from the road in faculty point out that there is some room for enchancment from deep, and his delicate contact contained in the arc on hooks and floaters could possibly be a superb signal transferring ahead, however as of now, for Murray-Boyles to make an affect on scoring, the Raptors should get artistic with their extensive units.
