TORONTO — The NBA Draft unfolded as most expected, at least until the Toronto Raptors got involved.
Duke star Cooper Flagg went first overall, as had been predicted for nearly a year. Dallas won the No. 1 pick at the draft lottery and didn’t waver. Then Dylan Harper was the No. 2 pick as predicted, and will start his NBA career alongside Victor Wembanyama in San Antonio.
And on it went: VJ Edgecombe, Kon Knueppel, Ace Bailey, Tre Johnson, and Jeremiah Fears in spots 3 through 7.
There was a surprise when the Brooklyn Nets took BYU guard Egor Demin with the 8th pick, and then another when the Raptors were on the clock:
Still available were Duke centre Khaman Maluach, Arizona wing Carter Bryant and French big man Noa Essengue, players who had been linked to the Raptors to varying degrees.
But when the time came, Toronto took Collin Murray-Boyles — a second-year big man out of the University of South Carolina, who was typically projected to go at the very bottom of the lottery, if at all, with NBA.com’s consensus mock draft projecting Murray-Boyles as the 13th pick.
But the Raptors wanted Murray-Boyles, a defensive-minded forward, and they got him.
“Yeah we had him higher than nine,” said Raptors general Bobby Webster. “I think, the defensive stuff, versatility, we’ve seen a lot of players here be successful in that role. And I think that was high on our list.”
Some of what Murray-Boyles does well is reflected in his wide-range of box score numbers, especially his finishing ability (62.2 per cent from two-point range) his high rates of steals and blocks (1.3 and 1.5 per game, respectively) not to mention his 16.8 points and 8.3 rebounds.
But overall, it’s his status as a multi-positional, playmaking defender that lifted his draft stock.
The question marks are his size — at a shade over six-foot-six, he’s undersized for a centre or power forward in the NBA, even when you factor in his seven-foot wingspan — and, more importantly, that he shot just 26.5 per cent from three in his second college season after not making a three as a freshman.
“Obviously everybody talks about the shot,” Murray-Boyles said on a video call with Toronto media. “But that’s something I’ve been fine-tuning for the past couple of months. I’m really just trying to get to that point where it’s consistent. I’m confident with it as of right now, very confident about it. It’s a different feeling. It’ll definitely open up my game and help my team obviously in the long run.”
Webster said that there was significant trade interest from other teams looking to move up, but they decided to keep the pick and use it on Murray-Boyles, whom they had been tracking since his freshman year at South Carolina.
“We sort of had our eye on him and going into the season, I think those who watched them, very obvious, (was his) elite defence, really versatile, great hands, a lot of stocks. So I think for us it was the defensive versatility, but we felt, you know, he has a chance to be a really, really good defender in the NBA,” Webster said.
Murray-Boyles sounds like a good fit in all other respects, other than his perimeter shooting. One of the Raptors’ strengths last season was a collection of young players that pulled for each other and brought a strong group energy to their work, even on a team where wins were few and far between, especially early in the season.
“I think if you think of that second unit, sort of the second half of the year, I think they thrived on defence,” said Webster. “I think they sort of rallied around that. I think that’s what became one of our top attributes or identity towards that. And so I think he’ll fit in with that, which is he’s going to play really hard on defence. Darko (Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic) made a huge emphasis on that. Playing together on defence, I think is sort of infectious.”
As a freshman, Murray-Boyles was part of an upstart South Carolina team that tied their school record for wins and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017 and achieved their highest ranking since 1997. A year later, the Gamecocks were 2-16 in the SEC conference and 12-20 overall. Seeing both sides had its benefits, he said.
“It definitely prepared me,” he said of being on both a winning and losing team in two college seasons. “Teams go through good days. They go through good months where they’re winning a lot of games. Next month in a snap of a finger, they could be in a drought and not win any games for an extended period of time.
“Me having the good and the bad, having both of the experiences so early on in my career, just prepared me even more for what I can (expect) at the next level. So looking back on it, a lot of people don’t really get the opportunity to have a historical season and then have one of the worst seasons. So I think having both really helps you, especially going to the 82-game season and really not being surprised and being prepared for what to expect if that happens.“
Murray-Boyles also clarified his reaction — caught on camera — where he cursed when he was announced as the Raptors pick. It was the right kind curse, he said.
“Just disbelief. Toronto was probably the first team I worked out for. What I said was not a bad thing by any means,” he said. “I’m just very thankful for it. That was a surreal moment to hear my name called, by this organization that has a good history and have really good players right now. It was a crazy moment. Obviously thankful for the opportunity that they’re giving me. And taking it full on and ready to do whatever it takes and whatever they need me to do.”
Will Riley a Wizard: The ball-handling wing from Kitchener, Ont., by way of the University of Illinois, will start his career with the rebuilding Washington Wizards as the 21st player taken in the NBA draft. According to stats and information guru Keerthika Uthayakumar, Riley is the 22nd Canadian taken in the first round since 2011 and the sixth since 2022.
Raptors likely to keep their pick: The Raptors have the 39th-overall pick of the draft in the second round, which takes place on Thursday night, and Webster says they are likely to use it, rather than trade it. Gonzaga point guard Ryan Nembhard, who worked out for the Raptors, could be available. The senior from Aurora, Ont. led the NCAA in assists last season.
Pleasant surprise: Webster attributed Murray-Boyles’ instant reaction when his name was called with the ninth pick to the element of surprise. Some teams, it turns out, give the player they are selecting a heads up. The Raptors don’t. “My take on it was, (we) don’t tell them (we are drafting them). You know, a lot a lot of people tell you, and so I don’t think he knew. I think maybe you know, I think it was truly like sort of a reaction to it happening. So maybe we should leak more.”
