Now that Collin Murray-Boyles has had nearly three months of NBA experience, along with a solid Summer League showcase, I have to say I’ve been pleasantly surprised and largely proven wrong by the 20-year-old ex-South Carolina product.

When I first heard about CMB as a potential prospect on Toronto’s radar, he immediately set off alarm bells in my head as another non-shooting addition to the Raptors’ roster. Despite his defensive upside and versatile skillset, I had hoped the team would go in a different direction on draft night. However, CMB was selected ninth overall, and now, after a rollercoaster journey in the Raptors’ 2025–26 plans, I’ve come to realize that he’s in a special tier among the many young talents in Toronto’s midst.

Of course, recency bias might lead you to see him as one of the Raptors’ key projects, given that he was their most recent draft pick. Even though guys like Gradey Dick, Ja’Kobe Walter, and Jonathan Mogbo have more NBA experience, I truly believe CMB has a more secure footing within the Raptors than his contemporaries.

Collin Murray-Boyles eclipses the rest of Raptors’ current young assets

If my flow doesn’t quite hit, just look at what CMB has already accomplished early in his NBA career — there have been some great highlights for a young player whom the Raptors likely didn’t expect to make such an impact right away. With CMB, Toronto got a prospect with a Draymond Green-like ceiling, and the Raptors didn’t have to wait long before he showed glimpses of that potential.

On December 23 against Miami, Murray-Boyles had a tremendous night, scoring 11 points on 5-for-9 shooting, including 1-for-2 from deep, and adding 12 rebounds and three steals. In fact, those 12 boards set a new career-high for CMB and marked his first NBA double-double. Additionally, CMB’s nine offensive rebounds tied him with Raptors cornerstone Scottie Barnes for the “most by a Raptors rookie since 2022,” according to Raptors PR.

To date this season, Murray-Boyles is averaging 7.0 points on 55.6% field goal shooting, 45.2% from three, 60.6% at the free throw line, along with 3.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists. However, CMB still struggles to adjust to not fouling at the NBA level, averaging 2.4 personal fouls per game. Additionally, CMB can go through spells of mishandling passes and rebounds, but that can be attributed to the NBA game still feeling a bit too fast for him.

Nevertheless, despite the concerns and trouble signals, waiting more patiently on CMB’s development seems warranted for the Raptors — especially compared to guys like Gradey Dick, Jonathan Mogbo, and, to some degree, Ja’Kobe Walter, who was a first-round draft pick. Even with these negatives, I feel like Murray-Boyles is in a more favorable position to suit up and provide the Raptors with a consistent and noticeable impact compared to the other names I mentioned. For those players, expectations are much higher, given they’ve been in the league longer than CMB, yet they haven’t done much to surpass him in the hierarchy of young Raptors players.

Fortunately for CMB, this could signal that the Raptors have more faith in him to develop into a pivotal part of the team moving forward — especially since the others have had their names attached in potential trade discussions. I’m not saying CMB is untouchable per se, but I’d reckon he’s in a safer spot in the Raptors’ eyes than Dick, Walter, Mogbo, or even a guy like Jamison Battle.