This Player Could Be Raptors' Next All-Star

The Toronto Raptors have a player on the rise.

Team USA Stars forward Scottie Barnes of the Toronto Raptors. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Toronto Raptors had a pair of All-Stars this season, and Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram joined an exclusive list of players in franchise history to represent them in the All-Star Game.

Ingram became the 10th All-Star in franchise history while Barnes became the sixth player to make multiple All-Star teams. Barnes and Ingram are expected to be the leading forces for the Raptors for years to come, but they might have some company on All-Star Weekend in a few years.

If the Raptors are going to have another All-Star on the roster, the most likely player is rookie forward Collin Murray-Boyles.

Toronto Raptors forward Collin Murray-Boyles looks on against the Orlando Magic. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Collin Murray-Boyles Could Be Next Raptors All-Star

Murray-Boyles is off to a great start in his NBA career. The number nine overall pick out of South Carolina is averaging 7.9 points and five rebounds per game for the Raptors through the first half of the season. He has appeared in 43 of the team's first 55 games, and he is proving to be a strong defender and someone the Raptors can rely on.

Murray-Boyles has a long way to go if he wants to become an all-star in the league, especially on the offensive end of the floor. However, the Raptors are already entrusting him with some key minutes as he averages just over 22 a game. The fact that he is already playing in a lot of minutes in his rookie season shows that he is viewed as a valuable player for the Raptors.

The Raptors don't know where his ceiling is, and that could mean he is the missing piece to the puzzle for the team's championship hopes.

“A common mistake is when a player comes in, you already have an idea of what he has to be,” Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic said via Grange.

“Sometimes we as coaches just try to box them in. Obviously, there is a role and there is stuff you’ve got to do. There is stuff you’ve got to learn. We’re constantly learning about Collin, what he can do, how he’s learning, how he is picking up on things. It’s really impressive, his development. The opportunity he’s taking on right now, he’s doing impressive things for us.”

When the Raptors drafted players like Pascal Siakam and signed Fred VanVleet, they weren't viewed as future All-Stars. Yet, that's how their careers in Toronto ended up. The player development system the Raptors have is one of the best in the league and Murray-Boyles could be the next Raptors player that could make that All-Star leap.