I do know we nonetheless have the playoffs to look forward to, so the season is not solely over per se. However, the common season pattern is formally full. I believe it is solely acceptable to do what I’ve carried out in earlier seasons: to present out some end-of-season report playing cards for the main gamers of this 2025-26 Raptors marketing campaign.
Since this was Collin Murray-Boyles’ first NBA season, who higher to start out with than him?
Man, I look again and really feel fairly awkward once I mirror on my first impressions and face-value interpretations of what Collin Murray-Boyles was as a participant throughout the pre-draft course of and even after the Raptors took him ninth total in the 2025 NBA Draft. I used to be not precisely tremendous ecstatic about Toronto including one other archetype that I already believed that they had a plethora of.
Questions loomed, seeing as CMB was greater than seemingly tasked with being an undersized large at the subsequent stage, and issues round his means to be a optimistic offensive presence — particularly contemplating his clear three-point taking pictures weak spot — raised a number of crimson flags for me. However, it’s all the time an enormous win when somebody can come proper out of the gates and utterly shatter expectations, proving the doubters fallacious, myself undoubtedly included. It did not even take lengthy earlier than I may see that the hype around CMB was absolutely real.
Collin Murray-Boyles completed his rookie marketing campaign with the following metrics: 57 video games performed, together with 22 begins, averaging 8.5 factors on 57.9 p.c discipline objective taking pictures, 5.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and near a steal and a block per recreation (0.9 every), in a mean of 21.9 minutes per recreation.
Perhaps the largest hurdle of CMB’s first season in the execs was the in depth missed time on the sidelines as a consequence of a nagging thumb harm. In the pattern the place Murray-Boyles was inactive, the Raptors drastically missed his presence on the courtroom or felt the affect of not having him there. I imply, simply ask Sandro Mamukelashvili, who needed to tackle an altered function due to CMB’s void.
It’s been stated earlier than right here on Raptors Rapture, however whenever you take a look at the numbers Murray-Boyles put up, it does not fairly scream “massive game-changer” strictly talking. Nonetheless, it’s a must to acknowledge Murray-Boyles’ constant effort and mentality to tackle the tall process of dealing with veteran and maybe intimidating competitors — and nonetheless have the ability to carry out accordingly, all issues thought-about, regardless of being only a 20-year-old.
Collin Murray-Boyles rapidly emerged a key risk of the Raptors’ 2025-26 efforts
Even if CMB could not stuff the stat sheet, it was the defensive effort and willingness to tackle heavy assignments that impressed. But even statistically, we obtained a glimpse of the potential Murray-Boyles possesses to place all the pieces collectively and produce a string of spectacular scoring performances. In a five-game pattern this month (between April 1 to 9), CMB delivered three standout performances: a career-high 20 factors in opposition to the Kings, adopted by 19 factors in opposition to the Grizzlies, and a flawless taking pictures evening with 17 factors and eight rebounds in opposition to the Heat.
Also quietly rising throughout that stretch was a budding on-court synergy that seemed fairly promising: the Scottie Barnes-CMB connection. Now, with the playoffs awaiting, Murray-Boyles has already carried out sufficient in his rookie marketing campaign to be duly thought-about a major think about Toronto’s hopeful postseason efforts. Murray-Boyles spoke to the media in a recent post-playoff practice scrum, the place he shared his ideas on how his rookie season turned out — and the way it in comparison with his expectations stepping into.
CMB stated: “It’s hard to really say what you expect come your first year in the league because it’s just so unpredictable. Obviously you want to do as best as you can. I mean, I feel like I’ve put in a lot of effort to be the best that I could be, especially in my first year. But I didn’t expect a lot, you know? Obviously I expected us to be here right now. I expected more for the team than myself.“
While doing his finest to reward the Raptors’ group throughout this reply, CMB was requested to pinpoint a single facet that stood out throughout his first yr, to which he replied: “I got a lot of trust instilled in me, being able to guard such great players. I didn’t expect to be doing all this switch on, but I like it though. Um, so that was that was something that I had to adjust to quickly. So, that was that was something that I had to adjust to quickly.”
The beauty of CMB’s rookie marketing campaign is that it sets a higher benchmark for what’s to come (whereas preserving inside sound cause). We’ve seen how successfully he can function as a bully and hustler on the courtroom, all whereas providing glimpses of his additional potential. He seems poised to be a recurring All-Defense stage participant in the years forward, and if he can proceed to develop his offensive recreation and hit new strides, we would possibly simply be one other golden token for the Raptors (a Scottie Barnes-lite, if you’ll).
Moving ahead, I believe it could be helpful for CMB to enhance his three-point taking pictures quantity and present extra willingness to take these photographs. Even in his present kind, his means to work down low and embrace the gritty facet of the recreation are promising. However, he must care for himself when taking part in this fashion each evening, as well being issues have already emerged in his first yr. Aside from these points, I believe it’s solely truthful to present Murray-Boyles this last grade.
Grade: A
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