Collin Murray-Boyles Rumors

Injury Notes: Queen, White, Brown, Raptors, Rockets, More

October 18th, 2025 at 2:08pm CST by Rory Maher

Rookie big man Derik Queen has been medically cleared to participate in full basketball activities, the Pelicans announced today (via Twitter).

Head coach Willie Green said Queen was a full participant in Saturday’s practice, tweets Will Guillory of The Athletic. While the team wants to get Queen up to speed, Green said New Orleans will be careful not to rush the process after a lengthy layoff.

Queen has been rehabilitating from July surgery to address a torn scapholunate ligament in his left wrist, an injury he sustained at Summer League in Las Vegas. He was a limited participant during New Orleans’ training camp due to the injury.

Queen was selected with the 13th overall pick in June after the Pelicans sent Atlanta this year’s No. 23 selection and an unprotected 2026 first-rounder (the most favorable of New Orleans’ and Milwaukee’s picks) for the right to draft the Maryland big man, who was highly productive in his lone season with the Terrapins. In 36 games last season, the 20-year-old forward/center averaged 16.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks in 30.4 minutes per contest.

We have several more injury notes from around the NBA:

Bulls guard Coby White, who has been battling a calf strain since August and didn’t play in any preseason games this fall, “looked good” after going through most of the contact portions of Saturday’s practice, according to head coach Billy Donovan (Twitter links K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network). Donovan added that White would go through additional contact work on Monday after taking Sunday off. For his part, White said he was encouraged by today’s session, though he cautioned he’s still working on regaining his conditioning and rhythm. “We’ll see. It’s in the works,” White said of potentially playing in Chicago’s season opener, per Johnson.
Celtics star Jaylen Brown sustained a left hamstring injury in Wednesday’s preseason finale. As Jay King of The Athletic writes, head coach Joe Mazzulla didn’t say whether Brown would be active for next Wednesday’s season opener, but the injury doesn’t sound serious — Brown is considered day-to-day, per Mazzulla.
Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic expressed optimism that lottery pick Collin Murray-Boyles could be ready for Wednesday’s season opener in Atlanta after the former South Carolina forward sustained an arm injury last week, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. According to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter links), Murray-Boyles is day-to-day with a right forearm strain.
Although Raptors center Jakob Poeltl missed time during preseason with lower back stiffness and exited Friday’s preseason finale with the same injury, Rajakovic clarified after the game that the Austrian big man was pulled for precautionary reasons (Twitter links via Lewenberg). Poeltl is under contract through 2029/30 after signing a lucrative long-term extension in July.
Forward Jae’Sean Tate, who underwent offseason ankle surgery, went through contract drills in Saturday’s practice, per Rockets head coach Ime Udoka (Twitter link via Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle). The team remains optimistic that Tate will be available for Houston’s season opener, but Dorian Finney-Smith probably won’t be, according to Udoka. Finney-Smith, a free agent addition, is recovering from June ankle surgery.
Former Alabama forward Grant Nelson was originally expected to sign an Exhibit 10 deal with the Nets shortly after Summer League in July, but the signing was delayed until a few days ago due to an otherwise unspecified “stress reaction from overworking,” he told Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “It was like a small, little minor injury that held me out of training camp. And then I feel like I did everything I could. I caught the injury really early, so I wasn’t out long. But it worked out perfect. So now I’m back healthy, feeling 100 percent.”
Backup Lakers center Jaxson Hayes exited Friday’s preseason finale with a right wrist contusion, the team announced (Twitter link via Dan Woike of The Athletic). Head coach JJ Redick said after the game that X-Rays on the wrist were negative, with another update on Hayes expected to come on Sunday, as veteran NBA report Mark Medina relays (via Twitter).
Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija experienced upper back stiffness on Thursday in Utah, causing him to exit Portland’s preseason finale, per the team (Twitter link). It’s unclear if Avdija will miss additional time as a result of the injury.

Raptors Notes: Murray-Boyles, Boucher, Barrett, Hepburn, More

October 11th, 2025 at 9:34am CST by Rory Maher

Alongside Brandon Ingram, who has looked “healthy and free of rust” while averaging nearly a point per minute, No. 9 overall pick Collin Murray-Boyles has been one of the early standouts for the Raptors during preseason, writes Eric Koreen of The Athletic.

As Koreen details, Murray-Boyles has displayed an intriguing blend of defensive versatility and court vision, and has also been ready — and willing — to shoot open three-pointers, which will be important part of his development going forward.

“We did make a couple of tweaks on his shooting mechanics,” head coach Darko Rajakovic said of Murray-Boyles’ outside shot. “He’s put a lot of work in. I’m encouraging him to take those shots. And he feels that he’s very comfortable actually in games. He looks like a player that’s looking for those shots and not shying away.”

Unfortunately, the 6’7″ forward sustained a right elbow contusion in the first quarter of Friday’s loss to Boston, limiting him to just eight minutes of action. Rajakovic told reporters that X-rays on the elbow were negative (Twitter link via Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca), but Murray-Boyles was in “visible pain” in the locker room, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca, who reports that the 20-year-old will likely undergo an MRI.

“I don’t know what happened, but when the adrenaline wore off, it really hurt,” Murray-Boyles told Grange.

Here’s more on the Raptors:

After spending the past seven seasons with the Raptors, veteran big man Chris Boucher signed with Boston in free agency. He had a big game on Friday against his former club, recording 19 points (on 7-of-10 shooting) and nine rebounds in 23 minutes. In an interesting story for The Players’ Tribune, the 32-year-old forward/center discussed his journey from being an unhoused teenager in Montreal to having a long NBA career. Boucher had nothing but good things to say about the Raptors and Canadians in general.
According to Grange, while Toronto explored trades involving RJ Barrett this summer, the team didn’t find much of a market for the former No. 3 overall pick. Barrett, a Toronto native, will earn $27.7MM this season and $29.6MM in 2026/27 before hitting unrestricted free agency.
With all five starters resting on Friday, undrafted rookie Chucky Hepburn had a solid outing, recording 13 points, eight assists and four steals in 27 minutes, Grange notes. The 22-year-old guard is on a two-way contract with the Raptors.
Both Koreen and Grange suggest the Raptors may opt to carry 14 players on standard contracts to open the season. According to Grange, A.J. Lawson has supporters in the organization, but he’s signed to a non-guaranteed contract, and the Raptors already have a surplus of “skinnier swingmen,” as Koreen writes.
For his part, Lawson said he’s focused on the present. “You just got to be yourself,” Lawson said, per Grange. “Don’t worry about all the other factors that could possibly happen. Just do what you can do, control what you can control, and for me, play hard every time I’m out there, show I can defend at a high level, show I can create and knock down the shot. If I keep doing that, I feel like I’ll be okay. I just can’t focus on the things that are out of my control.”

Raptors Notes: Ingram, Murray-Boyles, Rotations, Chomche

October 5th, 2025 at 7:01pm CST by Eli Cohen

After three straight years of playing at- or below-.500 basketball, the Raptors are entering this season with a chip on their shoulder, writes Eric Koreen for The Athletic.

According to Koreen, that’s especially true of newcomer Brandon Ingram, who was named an All-Star and Most Improved Player in the 2019/20 season, but has struggled to gain recognition for his impact in the years that followed due to both injuries and an underperforming Pelicans team. It’s not only Ingram who feels that way, according to veteran Garrett Temple.

“Scottie (Barnes) was the No. 4 pick, but everyone was like, ‘Why are they picking you No. 4?’ RJ (Barrett) and (Immanuel Quickley): Toronto wanted you, but New York obviously traded you,” Temple told Koreen. “BI, New Orleans traded you. Ochai (Agbaji) got traded after (in his second season). You can look guys down the line: ‘Gradey (Dick), are you really good enough to play in the NBA, or is it just show?’ You can look at a lot of our players, and there’s a reason to have a chip on the shoulder. I think that’s what brings a lot of people together.”

While some Raptors may be using that history as motivation this season, Ingram is wary of letting that feeling drive him.

“I think when you go try to prove yourself to other people, it never works out,” he said on Monday. “If you look too far and try to impress people, you’ll take failures more.”

We have more notes from the Raptors:

In a recap of the Raptors’ yearly end-of-camp open scrimmage, Michael Grange of Sportsnet writes that Ingram showed how he can bring a skill set as a scorer that Toronto hasn’t had in years, whether on or off the ball.
In the same piece, Grange notes that Collin Murray-Boyles has been a standout. While Murray-Boyles was drafted in large part on the strength of his defense, he displayed some intriguing offensive potential during the team’s scrimmage, including hitting a three-pointer. Grange writes that the rookie’s shooting development will be a major factor in his ceiling as an NBA player. Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic was also impressed by the young big man’s performance. “He’s been doing a really, really good job,” Rajakovic said. “He’s not afraid of anything or anybody.”
Another noteworthy detail from the scrimmage, according to Grange, was how the rotations shook out. Quickley, Barrett, and Ingram were joined by Scottie Barnes and Jakob Poeltl, as was expected. The second unit was where it got more interesting, as Rajakovic used a lineup of Jamal Shead, Gradey Dick, Ochai Agbaji, Murray-Boyles, and Sandro Mamukelashvili. This left Ja’Kobe Walter, the 19th pick in the 2024 draft, on the outside looking in, along with Jamison Battle and Jonathan Mogbo. All three of those players averaged at least 17 minutes per game last season, but with the additions of Ingram and Murray-Boyles, plus hopefully a healthy season from Quickley, there will likely be fewer end-of-bench minutes to go around this year.
Finally, Grange provides an update on two-way player Ulrich Chomche, who has been held out of practice for much of training camp and will be getting medical imaging done on Monday. Grange notes that he jogged out during the game to greet his teammates, which would seem to indicate that the injury limiting him is not something severe.

Raptors Notes: Barrett, Ingram, Barnes, Quickley, Murray-Boyles

October 2nd, 2025 at 8:33am CST by Dana Gauruder

RJ Barrett heard the trade speculation surrounding him this summer as the Raptors shopped around for another star player.

Barrett has two years and $57MM remaining on his contract and would have been a logical trade piece in a blockbuster deal. There has also been talk of how his skills and that of Brandon Ingram‘s could overlap, so he wasn’t surprised or upset over the rumors, he told Josh Lewenberg of TSN.

“Obviously, this is the place I want to be,” the Canadian forward said. “I would love to finish my career here. This is my home. But I think that, with it, is understanding the business aspect of it. And if you look at contract situations and all that, it makes sense to put my name in there, right? So, I don’t take that personally. People are just looking at numbers, looking at figures, looking at everything, and that’s kinda what would make sense. So, I don’t have any ill will or ill feelings towards that. All I can do is play my game and try to help the team win because at the end of the day, what negates all that, if the team is winning there’s no need for any of that.”

Here’s more on the Raptors:

Speaking of Ingram, he’s thrilled to be healthy after missing most of last season due to an ankle injury, Michael Grange of Sportsnet writes. “I’m just excited to bring my skill level and make things easier for other guys,” Ingram said. “Play-making, scoring the basketball, defense, getting steals, going on the other end, and just having fun. It does feel like a fresh start, all the new faces, new coaches, learning new things. So hopefully I can show my full game.”
The team’s star, Scottie Barnes, has a playoffs or bust mentality heading into this season. “I think our expectation of our team is definitely to make the playoffs and win some games in the playoffs,” he said. “That’s the standard, that’s the bottom line with how talented we are and what we should be able to achieve. We’re hungry, we’ve got a lot to prove and we’re gonna go out and show it.”
Barnes has given serious thought to suiting up for the Jamaican national team in the future, Libaan Osman of the Toronto Star tweets. “That’s definitely something I’ve been thinking about doing,” he said. Barnes has won multiple golds representing Team USA in age group ranks, hasn’t played for the USA’s senior national team.
Immanuel Quickley is focused on staying on the court this season after appearing in just 33 games last season due to injuries in 2024/25. “Spent a lot of time on the track this summer,” he said. “So I’ve been been trying to, you know, up the condition a little bit. And then every season I look to get stronger every summer. And I always take that part of my game serious. Even though I look a little skinny, I feel like, you know, (stronger).” (video link)
Rookie Collin Murray-Boyles plans to bring an “edge” defensively to fit in with his teammates. “Really, just my mindset coming into it, it’s really just what I can give these guys?” he told Grange. “Obviously, I want to give them the hardest time on (defense) … that’s how I’m making them better, especially the offensive heavy guys that the offense flows through. I want to make it as hard as possible on them, so it’s easier for them in the games. So just trying to bring an edge to the team, just trying to figure out how I can contribute.”

Raptors Notes: Webster, Pritchard, Roster Moves, Rotation

August 19th, 2025 at 1:59pm CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors announced on Monday that they’ve decided not to fill the president role formerly held by Masai Ujiri, with Bobby Webster hanging onto his title of general manager as he takes over as the team’s permanent head of basketball operations. That’s fine with Webster, as Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca relays.

“On the title, what’s the best way to put it? The title, to me, probably isn’t as important as the responsibilities,” Webster said. “I’m really thankful for this opportunity. I’ll make the most of it and that (not getting the president title) is not something that concerns me.”

While Webster seems unfazed by not being named the Raptors’ president, he’s still expected to have a chance to earn a promotion to that position based on how he handles his new responsibilities, Grange adds.

“This is his chance,” a source close to the hiring process told Sportsnet. “Show (us) he’s the president. It’s a process. It’s all about the rebuild, it’s all about the strategy going forward. Can Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes become an incredible duo? How do you manage the tax situation we’re currently in?

“At the end of the day, it will be about Bobby making the right decisions moving forward. He’s (40 years old) and he’s got every quality that you want representing your organization. Now, it comes down to wins and losses, building the reputation of the brand and dealing with the salary cap.”

Here’s more on the Raptors:

Grange hears from sources that Toronto formally interviewed Pacers president Kevin Pritchard, former Kings general manager Monte McNair, and former Raptors coach Dwane Casey for its president role, while Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca reports that Pacers GM Chad Buchanan and Bulls GM Marc Eversley also interviewed for the job. Pritchard was believed to be the candidate that intrigued the Raptors the most, but “prying him away from the Pacers proved difficult,” Grange writes.
While Webster believes the roster the Raptors have put together is ready to “make the next step” in 2025/26, there’s skepticism around the NBA about some of the moves the team has made in recent years. According to Grange, one Eastern Conference executive questioned the team’s investments in Immanuel Quickley (five years, $162.5MM), Ingram (three years, $120MM), and Jakob Poeltl (three years, $84MM): “I know sometimes you have to pay a premium for players in Canada, but that much?” Another rival executive, per Grange, suggested there’s an excess of wings on the roster and a lack of depth at point guard and center. “They have a lot of nice pieces,” that executive said. “It’s just not clear how they all fit.”
Some of the executives who interviewed for the Raptors’ president job were among those questioning the club’s recent personnel decisions, according to Lewenberg, who says one of those external candidates referred to the Ingram trade as a “desperate Hail Mary.”
Eric Koreen of The Athletic previews what the Raptors’ rotation might look like this fall, projecting Gradey Dick, Ochai Agbaji, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Jamal Shead, and Collin Murray-Boyles to be the top options off the bench behind a starting lineup of Barnes, Ingram, Quickley, Poeltl, and RJ Barrett.

Atlantic Notes: Russell, Murray-Boyles, Nets Assets, Grimes

August 10th, 2025 at 3:04pm CST by Dana Gauruder

D’Angelo Russell signed with the Mavericks as a free agent but he’s heaping high praise on the Nets organization. He feels his career has been extended by what he learned early in his career with Brooklyn, he told Dwyane Wade in a podcast (hat tip to Joseph Staszewski of the New York Post). In the process, he took a swipe at the Lakers organization.

“The organization of Brooklyn is different,” Russell said. “It’s unlike any other. The performance, team, coach — everything about Brooklyn is different than what you would expect. And I’ve been around the league, where I came from the Lakers, where the structure is not the same.”

Russell played 29 games with the Nets last season. He also spent two seasons with them from 2017-19 after beginning his career with the Lakers.

“I always approached the game to where I was nonchalant, and I felt like I could just wing it. They taught me how to be a professional, how to sleep, how to eat, how to recover,” Russell said.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

Collin Murray-Boyles‘ personal trainer believes that the No. 9 pick of this year’s draft could turn into a Draymond Green-style defender with better offensive skills, he told Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports. “He is more of the modern-day Draymond [Green],” trainer Khadijah Sessions said of the Raptors‘ rookie forward. “He is a defender, he can defend all positions, he can pass, he can set his teammates up… He’s going to be a better Draymond. He’s going to shoot better than him. He’s going to be able to score better than him. But it’s going to be over time and I think him playing behind Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram is going to bring a different monster out of him.”
After selecting a handful of players during the first round of this year’s draft, the Nets still have plenty of draft assets remaining, including extra picks and pick swaps. Yet their best asset might be their own first-rounder next year, which they reacquired from Houston, writes Brian Lewis of the New York Post (subscription required). There’s plenty of pressure on general manager Sean Marks that a majority of the players he picked this June pan out, as well as using that future draft capital wisely.
Should restricted free agent Quentin Grimes sign his $8.7MM qualifying offer from the Sixers and become unrestricted next summer? Or will the two parties eventually find common ground on a multi-year contract before next season? Rich Hofmann and Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports take a deep dive into that subject in their latest podcast (video link).

Summer League Notes: Rookie Standouts, Maluach, Fears

July 27th, 2025 at 6:02pm CST by Eli Cohen

The 2025 Summer League gave fans and teams first impressions of most of this year’s incoming rookies, as well as serving as a showcase for several sophomores and younger veterans. In the wake of the event, Law Murray of the Athletic breaks down each rookie’s performance with an eye for what it could mean for the coming season.

Cooper Flagg (Mavericks), Dylan Harper (Spurs), and VJ Edgecombe (Sixers) were arguably the biggest names who participated in the Summer Leagues – headlined by the Las Vegas event – and despite some shooting efficiency concerns, all three gave their fans plenty of reason for excitement.

Flagg displayed a well-rounded on-ball skill set, Harper came up clutch in his last game to force overtime, and Edgecombe lived at the free throw line while displaying some advanced ball-screen offensive game, Murray observes.

The next three picks in the draft, Kon Knueppel (Hornets), Ace Bailey (Jazz), and Tre Johnson (Wizards), all showed off their shot-making capabilities, which will likely be what earns them regular playing time as rookies. Knueppel was rewarded for his play with the only All-Summer League Second Team selection among rookies, while Nique Clifford (Kings) was the lone rookie to make the First Team, thanks to his stellar all-around play.

Other rookies, such as Collin Murray-Boyles (Raptors), Carter Bryant (Spurs), Joan Beringer (Timberwolves), and Brooks Barnhizer (Thunder) flashed tantalizing defensive capabilities, though Murray-Boyles and Bryant were inconsistent offensively, Murray notes.

Here are a few more leftover Summer League notes:

John Hollinger of the Athletic takes a look at some of the low points of Summer League, including the worst ejection of the tournament, awarded to the Celtics‘ Jordan Walsh for not only having an excessive foul on the Heat’s Pelle Larsson, but for accidentally throwing him into Walsh’s own front office executives courtside.
In terms of players who struggled, Hollinger mentions Khaman Maluach (Suns), who had difficulty catching lobs and other passes, Jeremiah Fears (Pelicans), who was unable to spearhead an offense and create for others, and the limitations of the four Nets rookies who suited up, among others.
On the non-player side, Hollinger points to an abundance of turnovers caused by stepping out of bounds, as well as the prevalence of split-screen interviews that made following the games an exercise in patience and eagle-eyed vision.

Raptors Finalize Murray-Boyles, Hepburn Signings

July 1st, 2025 at 2:42pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Raptors have officially signed No. 9 overall draft pick Collin Murray-Boyles and finalized their reported agreement with two-way player Chucky Hepburn, per a pair of team press releases.

An All-SEC second teamer during his 2024/25 sophomore season at South Carolina, Murray-Boyles notched averages of 16.8 PPG, 8.3 RPG and 2.4 APG across 32 contests. His 58.6% field goal percentage paced the conference.

Murray-Boyles, a 6’7″ forward, will earn $6.33MM during the first season of his rookie scale deal and a total of $28.82MM across his first four pro years.

Despite being the 2025 ACC Defensive Player of the Year and an All-ACC First Teamer at Louisville as a senior last year, Hepburn went undrafted last week. The 6’2″ guard was quickly snagged by Toronto. Across 34 games in 2024/25, Hepburn averaged 16.4 PPG, 5.8 APG and 3.5 RPG.

As a two-way player, Hepburn will likely split his time between Toronto and the team’s G League affiliate, the Raptors 905. He’ll be eligible to suit up for 50 regular season contests with Toronto before the team would need to elevate him to its standard roster.

Raptors Notes: Ujiri, Webster, Murray-Boyles, Martin

June 27th, 2025 at 10:34pm CST by Eli Cohen

The timing of the Raptors‘ announcement that they’re parting ways with president Masai Ujiri was met with some confusion on Friday morning, but according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet, that decision was mutually made between the two parties.

As Grange relays (via Twitter), Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment president Keith Pelley told reporters on Friday that he met with Ujiri a month ago and the two came to an agreement that any change in leadership would happen after the draft, so as not to disrupt the draft evaluation process.

Ujiri spearheaded the Raptors for 12 years, including making the trades for Kawhi Leonard and Marc Gasol that helped turn the team into the 2019 NBA champions. He leaves the Raptors with a win-loss record of 545-419.

Pelley also confirmed that general manager Bobby Webster will interview for the newly vacant president position, per Grange (via Twitter). However, Pelley emphasized the importance of an exhaustive, wide-ranging search, telling reporters, “The president of an NBA franchise is always a big deal.”

Webster and assistant general manager Dan Tolzman are among the Raptors executives who recently received contract extensions that weren’t announced until today, notes Marc Stein of the Stein Line (Substack link). Stein adds that the high salaries that Ujiri and former Toronto Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan were earning are believed to have factored “strongly” into MLSE’s decision to let go of both execs in recent weeks.

We have more news from the Raptors:

Ujiri served not only as a team-builder in Toronto but also as an energetic figurehead for the fan base and players alike, according to Eric Koreen of The Athletic, who says Friday’s move opens the team to questions about how much of the change was motivated by changes in power structures at the ownership group MLSE. Koreen points to Edward Rogers, who became the most powerful person at MLSE last year, and his fractious relationship with Ujiri as a key factor. During his Friday media session, Pelley refuted the idea that the team will necessarily suffer from Ujiri’s departure. “When you create a brand, when you create a culture, if it is mitigated when that individual is no longer involved, then the culture and the brand has not been created in the right way,” he said. “And I believe that the way that (Ujiri) has built the brand and the way that he has created the culture is something that we as an organization at MLSE cherish and need now to build upon, and that will be something critical for the next president coming in.”
After taking Collin Murray-Boyles at No. 9 on Wednesday, the Raptors are setting themselves up for further roster changes, Koreen opines. While Murray-Boyles is a very talented player, Koreen writes that it’s hard to overlook his size and/or skill-set overlap with Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, Brandon Ingram, and Jonathan Mogbo. Webster confirmed that he doesn’t necessarily see this roster as a final product, saying, “I think we’re not so worried about position as we try to find these players. Obviously teams change a lot, and you can trade, there’s a lot of different movement there.” It’s important, per Webster, that players like Murray-Boyles and Barnes have high basketball IQs, which can mitigate some of the warts that could arise when they play together.
Josh Lewenberg of TSN suggests that the Raptors played it safe with the Murray-Boyles selection, opting for a player with a stable floor of defense and passing, rather than taking a bigger swing on higher-variance prospects, such as Khaman Maluach or Noa Essengue. However, Lewenberg adds that Murray-Boyles fits the tough-as-nails identity that helped propel a team like the Thunder to the championship. “The intensity ratchets up and defence is so much more important, which is why I think [coach Darko Rajakovic] and our coaching staff preach that so much, knowing that someday we’re hoping to be in that situation,” Tolzman said. “Those are the types of guys we’re looking for.”
That exact mindset is what led the Raptors to second-round pick Alijah Martin, writes Grange, who says that by choosing Martin at 39, Toronto doubled down on gritty, physical defense. “He’s got a lot of room for growth still. One of those guys, get him in our program and see what he can do. He’s going to fight for everything he can get,” Tolzman said of Martin.
Grange notes that Martin averaged 1.3 steals per game over four years as a starter and helped lead Florida to the NCAA championship this season. Martin, for his part, described himself as the ultimate role player. “As a defender, you gotta lay your body on the line. My best attribute defensively is my ability to match your body up, being able to stay mentally poised,” he said.

Raptors Draft Collin Murray-Boyles At No. 9

June 25th, 2025 at 8:11pm CST by Arthur Hill

Collin Murray-Boyles is officially the ninth overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft, as the Raptors used their lottery pick to select the South Carolina standout.

After establishing himself as a potential first-round pick with a strong freshman season, Murray-Boyles took another step forward as a sophomore in 2024/25, averaging 16.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.3 blocks in 30.6 minutes per game across 32 outings. The 6’7″ forward/center made 58.6% of his shots from the floor and 70.7% from the free throw line.

Though he isn’t a threat as an outside shooter, Murray-Boyles has a sturdy frame and physical style that has allowed him to play bigger than his height — he has earned comparisons to Draymond Green due to his play-making, toughness, and defensive versatility.

The Raptors received considerable interest from teams hoping to trade up to the No. 9 pick, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link), but they’re going to keep Murray-Boyles as part of their young foundation.

He will bring a much-needed physical presence to their front court and should help upgrade the defense. He’s also an accomplished passer and may get a chance to handle the ball frequently in Toronto’s offense.

Adding another big man in the draft could affect the Raptors’ decision on whether to re-sign Chris Boucher. The versatile 32-year-old forward is ready to hit the open market after spending the past seven years in Toronto.