Raptors could be without rookie for a while after suffering knee injury

The Toronto Raptors might need to shut their rookie down for a bit after hurting himself once again.

Toronto Raptors forward Collin Murray-Boyles in action against the Atlanta Hawks. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Toronto Raptors rookie forward Collin Murray-Boyles has been on the injury report frequently in his first season with the team.

Murray-Boyles has been out with a forearm injury and an illness in the first month of the season, but an MCL sprain could keep him sidelined for longer. Murray-Boyles is considered "doubtful" for the team's game against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Toronto Raptors forward Collin Murray-Boyles during the third quarter against the Brooklyn Nets. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Murray-Boyles suffers knee injury

The news is tough to swallow for the rookie forward out of South Carolina. The No. 9 overall pick in this year's NBA Draft has shown signs of progress, especially on the defensive end.

The Raptors have benefitted from having him on the court, which is rare to see a rookie do this early in the season. The Raptors anticipated that he would be a key part of the team in training camp.

“Very rarely do you see a rookie coming in and impact the game in a positive way. I think the one area he can do, and is probably the best way for rookies, is on the defensive end," Raptors general manager Bobby Webster said in his media day press conference h/t NBA Analysis Network.

“He’s incredibly disruptive defensively, and we’ve seen that here in September. You saw it in college, you saw it in Summer League.

“So I think that probably would be the incentive for the coaches to put him in the game."

However, Webster also correctly predicted that the season would take a toll on his body. He knew that there could be challenges with going from the NCAA workload where games are once or twice per week to a full 82-game season.

“But he’s got a long way to go. I think he’s still got a 20 year old body. He’s still getting used to [it], he hasn’t even been on a road trip yet in the NBA, but I think, yeah, you’ll see on the defensive end is where he’ll really make his impact," Webster said.

The Raptors need to proceed with caution because Murray-Boyles has value for the long run. If the Raptors are going to make any noise later in the season, they will need Murray-Boyles contributing on the court as opposed to the sideline.

The Raptors, sans Murray-Boyles, will face off against the Sixers in their next game. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET inside Xfinity Mobile Arena.