The thing about exceeding expectations in professional sports is that it either buys time or raises expectations. Under normal circumstances, Collin Murray-Boyles’ rookie season purchased an entire season of leniency and patience. Met with confusion and indifference on his draft night, Murray-Boyles blocked out the noise and responded with one of the more tantalizing rookie campaigns in Toronto Raptors history.
But for Murray-Boyles’ sophomore season, the Raptors find themselves dealing with an extraordinary
circumstance in the form of Kawhi Leonard’s return.
With Leonard turning 35 this past June (and having signed a two-year extension that keeps him in a Raptors jersey until 2029), Murray-Boyles (21 years old) might be required to expedite at least part of his offensive development.
If Murray-Boyles doesn’t make significant progression this year, the Scottie Barnes-era Raptors can still push into uncharted territory, but a noticeable leap raises the team’s ceiling to Eastern Conference (and maybe even the NBA Finals).
After two pre-season contests, Murray-Boyles is averaging 9.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 block in 20.5 minutes. He’s also shooting 38.8 per cent from the field (0/2 from three) and 62.5 per cent from the free-throw line.
Here are a few thoughts about the small sample size we have at our disposal:
Off-ball is still a strength
0:00 – Some of Murray-Boyles’ best offensive moments last season came off-ball, particularly when Head Coach Darko Rajakovic got him moving downhill. He’s a big body that consistently sets effective screens, and this often forces defences to respect the chaos with a switch, subsequently resulting in meaningful mismatches. It’s easy to see how this would look with Barnes in Kyle Anderson’s spot, Immanuel Quickley instead of Jamal Shead, and Ja’Kobe Walter and Leonard as the spot-up shooters
0:09 – We’ve seen how effective Barnes is in the DHO anchor role. Murray-Boyles is just as savvy in this position, especially with his processing speed. The key to enhancing this action will be discussed later!
0:22 – Regardless of who he’s playing with (Jakob Poeltl, Barnes, or Anderson), Murray-Boyles will continue to thrive as an offensive-rebounder from the dunker’s spot
0:32 – Speaking of the dunker spot, how many times did we see this beautiful floater during the playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers? With Barnes, Leonard and Barrett applying rim pressure, expect Murray-Boyles to continue to thrive here
On-ball needs more reps
0:00 – I think Raptors fans would like to see more of this from Murray-Boyles, especially during pre-season and contests against weaker opponents. We’ve seen him try this move from the left block before. He’s left-handed, so it makes sense he’s comfortable going away from potential help defenders.
0:10 – Regarding the DHO anchor role in the earlier video, this is the aspect of that action that Murray-Boyles can improve. It’s not a catch-and-shoot three, nor is it an off-the-dribble jumper, but having this type of range as a counter if defences take away the pass or drive would be monumental.
0:19 – This is a pseudo-face-up type of sequence, which we occasionally see from Murray-Boyles. It’s no surprise that even when he tries a finesse move, he ends up relying on his physicality. This will be one of the more fun aspects of Murray-Boyles’ development
0:29 – The obvious highlight is the pass, but that’s a known variable in Murray-Boyles’ game. It’s cool watching him attack the defence off the bounce, particularly with his right hand. The spin in traffic is also a welcome sight.
Pushing for more
It’s normal for Murray-Boyles to look unnatural or uncomfortable with the ball in his hands. However, there’s no doubt in my mind that once he unlocks those layers of his game (whatever that might look like), we’ll all look back and say, ‘Of course that happened.“
Barnes has noticeably been forcing reps during pre-season, and for good reason; he’ll be relied on in the post-season to create his own shots. Even if Murray-Boyles won’t be called on to consistently generate his own offence, the same philosophy should apply to him too. The Raptors need to raise their ceiling with Leonard in town and Murray-Boyles can lead that movement.
