TORONTO — The 2025 rookie class is great. It’s early days, however the early returns are that it’ll simply rank among the many higher courses of the previous decade, and perhaps extra.
Cooper Flagg is proving a worthy No. 1, placing up the form of numbers by a youngster that solely LeBron James has matched. His Duke teammate Kon Knueppel, taken No. 4 by Charlotte, is already taking part in like a 10-year vet and is on tempo to shatter rookie three-point capturing data. The No. 2 choose, Dylan Harper, helps the San Antonio Spurs spherical into contending standing earlier than their appointed time, and VJ Edgecombe, taken third, is a key contributor for the surging Philadelphia 76ers. And on down the road. The New Orleans Pelicans appear to be they bought a pair of gems in Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears, taken twelfth and seventh, respectively. There are gamers taking part in necessary roles taken late within the first spherical and early within the second.
“All people’s discovering their area of interest,” he mentioned Monday evening after his essential function within the Raptors’ convincing 118-100 win over the visiting Atlanta Hawks, referring to the remainder of the rookie class. “All people’s making an influence on no matter crew they had been picked. … we’re happy with what we’ve completed thus far.”
Murray-Boyles hasn’t fairly bought the popularity that a few of his friends have. He doesn’t seem on NBA.com’s rookie ladder. When influential podcaster Zack Lowe did his mid-season first and second-team all-rookie alternatives, Murray-Boyles wasn’t on both.
That scenario might change in a rush if Murray-Boyles continues taking part in on the degree he has currently, culminating in probably the most spectacular all-around performances you’ll ever see from a first-year participant in a Raptors uniform.
Making simply his sixth profession begin, Murray-Boyles completed with 17 factors, seven rebounds, seven assists, three steals and two blocks with out making a turnover and capturing 8-of-10 from the ground. There hasn’t been a rookie put up 17-7-7-3-2 and not using a turnover since 1991, in keeping with basketball-reference.com. Forgetting turnovers, the one rookies to hit these thresholds previously decade are Amen Thompson, Victor Wembanyama and Lonzo Ball.
The win improved the Raptors’ file to 22-15 and strengthened their maintain on fourth place within the East earlier than they play seven of their subsequent 9 video games on the street. The Hawks fell to 17-21.
However the field rating — as spectacular as it’s — doesn’t actually do his night’s work justice.
Murray-Boyles makes optimistic performs, large and small, again and again. It’s each as easy and as sophisticated as that.
Whereas the Raptors received the sport pretty handily and swept the Hawks 4-0 within the season collection whereas doing so, there have been some tense moments within the fourth. Atlanta had minimize what was a 14-point lead early within the interval to seven with 5:19 to play.
Dyson Daniels, the Hawks’ big level guard, drove left, and Murray-Boyles slid his six-foot-seven, 230-pound body alongside him, rising as much as efficiently contest his lay-up, forcing a wild miss that changed into a three-point play for Scottie Barnes (18 factors, eight rebounds, 10 assists) on the different finish.
Slightly later within the quarter, the Raptors lead nonetheless in single figures, Murray-Boyles one way or the other got here up with a unfastened ball in a battle with Daniels, who is likely one of the NBA’s main ballhawks. The Raptors’ rookie instantly shovelled the ball to a wide-open Brandon Ingram (19 factors, 9 rebounds, three assists), who nailed a 3 to place Toronto up by 11, successfully icing the sport with 2:44 to play.
There have been loads of extra examples: a display screen he set to free Ingram for a lay-up, a well timed deflection. He helped maintain Hawks star Jalen Johnson to 13 factors on 5-of-15 capturing, together with six turnovers. Not counted amongst them was when Murray-Boyles was guarding Johnson on an inbounds play with simply a few seconds left on the shot clock. As quickly as Johnson caught the go, Murray-Boyles swallowed him complete, grabbing the ball and rendering Johnson helpless because the shot clock expired.
Rookies are alleged to be overwhelmed within the NBA and defensive liabilities. Murray-Boyles does the overwhelming, and he’s among the best defenders on the crew.
“I’m fairly certain our defensive numbers are higher when he’s on the ground,” mentioned Barnes. “… he makes nice reads, he’s doing all of it.”
His veteran teammates have been raving about his bodily power since coaching camp. It’s one purpose he has averaged greater than 4 offensive rebounds a recreation over his previous seven video games whereas averaging 25 minutes of ground time. He confirmed it when he wrestled hulking Hawks centre Onyeka Okongwu to a standstill over one contested rebound, forcing a soar ball, which Murray-Boyles received.
He was spectacular at instances, too, resembling when he caught the ball on the break below the basket and whirled 360 levels in a single movement to hit Gradey Dick (11 factors and two steals on 4-of-4 capturing) within the nook for a 3.
At this stage, it’s manner too early to completely recognize what the Raptors have of their prized 2025 rookie. So it’s not truthful for the remainder of the NBA to have a grasp on Murray-Boyles, who has missed time with accidents and sicknesses and is averaging 7.2 factors, 4.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists (albeit whereas capturing 54 per cent from the ground and 40 per cent from three) whereas taking part in 19 minutes a recreation.
However the extra you watch him, it turns into increasingly more obvious that he’s the kind of participant who can have an effect on the movement and consequence of video games together with his power, athleticism, smarts and exercise on each ends of the ground.
What that finally ends up wanting like continues to be an open query.
“A typical mistake is when a participant is available in, you have already got an concept of what he must be,” mentioned Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic. “Generally we as coaches simply attempt to field them in. Clearly, there’s a function and there’s stuff you’ve bought to do. There’s stuff you’ve bought to study. We’re consistently studying about Collin, what he can do, how he’s studying, how he’s choosing up on issues. It’s actually spectacular, his growth. The chance he’s taking over proper now, he’s doing spectacular issues for us.”
Murray-Boyles isn’t overthinking something proper now. He’s very prepared to play exhausting and let his instincts make issues occur.
“When you’re not drained, you’re not going exhausting sufficient, so I attempt to be as drained as doable,” he mentioned after taking part in a career-high 31 minutes.
And his seemingly unerring means to provide you with unfastened balls, make deflections, snare offensive rebounds, make steals and block the odd shot?
“It is principally simply not having your fingers by your aspect, like, that helps loads with it,” he mentioned. “Simply being lively, having your fingers up makes your life manner simpler.”
And what about having the ability to maintain his personal and even come out forward whereas wrestling for both the ball or place or each towards greater, older and extra skilled athletes.
Is he shocked his bodily fashion has translated so simply from faculty basketball?
“Nah, I raise,” he mentioned. “No cocky stuff. However I attempted my hardest to organize for this second, put together to play towards the most effective of the most effective. I imply, it is a large bodily side to that, and I really feel like I put together myself as a lot as doable, and I’m nonetheless making an attempt to get stronger day by day.”
It’s all working. The flexibility, physicality and really feel for the sport even at NBA velocity. It could not end in Murray-Boyles getting rookie-of-the-year buzz and even incomes a spot on an all-rookie crew when the season is over.
But it surely’s exhausting to look at him play – and particularly after video games like he performed Monday – and never consider the Raptors bought a participant within the 2025 draft who may also help them win NBA video games now and effectively into the long run.
Traed Younger? On Saturday night, I used to be chatting with a member of the Hawks entrance workplace within the tunnel resulting in the visiting locker room at Scotiabank Area when Trae Younger got here up the ramp. The manager excused himself, gave the Hawks star level guard a giant, heat hug, and the 2 exchanged just a few pleasant phrases earlier than Younger — who was inactive for each the Hawks video games in Toronto with a thigh bruise — went to get modified and get in a pre-game exercise. At roughly the identical time of day on Monday, the largest information drop within the NBA was that Younger (and his brokers) had been “working with the franchise on a commerce.” Translation: the Hawks have determined that life with out the 27-year-old four-time all-star incomes $46 million this yr and holding a participant possibility for $49 million subsequent season is healthier than life with him. Concurrently, Younger and his brokers have acknowledged that they aren’t going to get an extension from Atlanta, so higher to attempt to discover a crew prepared to increase his present deal. No exhausting emotions. Why do the Hawks need to transfer on? Amongst different causes, he’s a really high-priced defensive legal responsibility (the Hawks are giving up almost 10 extra factors per recreation within the 10 video games he’s performed than within the 27 video games he’s missed previous to Monday). Not coincidentally, the Hawks are 2-8 with Younger within the line-up and 15-12 when he doesn’t. They consider they will use that cash higher in different places to spherical out their promising younger roster.
Ought to the Raptors get entangled? It could actually’t damage to ask. But it surely’s not that straightforward to place a deal collectively. Raptors level guard Immanuel Quickley — who’s making $32.5 million this yr and for the following three after — can be a spot to begin. And whereas Quickley has had some good moments this season, he’s hardly taken the purpose guard job and sprinted away with it. He was pulled in favour of second-year guard Jamal Shead late within the fourth quarter towards the Hawks, the second time Rajakovic has chosen to complete a recreation with Shead as an alternative of Quickley previously two weeks. As checkered as Younger’s popularity is as an iffy teammate, defensive black gap who’s a shaky high-volume shooter (35 per cent from three on almost eight makes an attempt per recreation), his spectacular playmaking (10.5 per recreation over the previous 5 seasons) can be an improve on Quickley’s playmaking. So, yeah, in the identical manner buying and selling for Brandon Ingram final season was a low-risk wager on expertise with some warts that has labored out effectively, you may see the place the Raptors can discuss themselves into it.
However can they? Right here’s the issue: Quickley’s contract isn’t movable proper now with out attaching significant choose compensation. One of many causes the Hawks need to get out of the Trae Younger enterprise is that they don’t need to pay a small level guard vital cash to take the ball out of the fingers of Johnson and Daniels, who they see as constructing blocks. As I used to be chatting with some league people Monday, one factor I used to be instructed to remember with regard to stories of the Wizards being a possible Hawks vacation spot is that Washington can put helpful veterans on expiring contracts – say Kris Middleton and CJ McCollum – right into a deal. That would assist the Hawks of their playoff push this season, whereas working their strategy to sufficient cap area to make a pitch for a giant man like Dallas’s Anthony Davis subsequent summer season with out having to chew by way of their draft capital or younger expertise like they might in an in-season commerce. So even when the Raptors determined they had been at a stage the place they wished to be sending out draft picks to accumulate Younger, they don’t have the form of expiring contracts that the Hawks are on the lookout for in any case.
