Why Raptors rookie Collin Murray-Boyles is on path to success

Collin Murray-Boyles is off to a great start for the Toronto Raptors in his rookie season.

Toronto Raptors forward Collin Murray-Boyles walks on the court in the third quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers. | David Richard-Imagn Images

The Toronto Raptors should be pleased with the efforts of rookie forward Collin Murray-Boyles, the No. 9 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

Murray-Boyles had a slow start to the season, but his efforts during the team's winning streak has Bleacher Report writer Greg Swartz giving Murray-Boyles and the Raptors a "B" in a rookie report card for the start of the season.

"Following a dud of an NBA debut, Collin Murray-Boyles has actually been really good, especially as a fill-in starter at center in Jakob Poeltl's absence," Swartz wrote. "After going 0-of-4 for zero points in his first game, Murray-Boyles has averaged 13.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 steals while shooting 50.0 percent from three.

"Shooting was an issue in college, so it's been great to see Murray-Boyles get off to a hot start from beyond the arc. He looks like a solid rotation big already for the Raptors and a solid pick at No. 9 overall."

Toronto Raptors forward Collin Murray-Boyles comes down with a rebound against the Houston Rockets. | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Murray-Boyles off to good start with Raptors

The Raptors selected Murray-Boyles to add to the team's rising defense, but he has been able to hold his own on the offensive end to start his career. The team isn't really surprised by his defensive contributions so far.

“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."

Murray-Boyles can't get too comfortable as the first couple games of his career likely won't be the same as the rest of his future. He is going to go through the ups and the downs of the season and he will have to navigate the mental aspects of it all.

If Murray-Boyles can bounce back when he's down like he did before and grow and learn from his mistakes, the Raptors will have a key pillar of the roster for a long time.

Murray-Boyles and the Raptors are back in action against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET.