Toronto’s biggest swing might not be the Kawhi Leonard trade chatter at all. It could be the next step from Collin Murray-Boyles.
The soon-to-be sophomore has already given the Raptors enough to make him impossible to ignore. As a rookie, he played 57 games and started 22 of them, putting up 8.5 points on 57.9% shooting from the field, along with 5.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.9 blocks in 21.9 minutes per game. The box score may not jump off the page, but the production was steady.
Then came the 2026 playoffs, where Murray-Boyles looked like a different player. With his role expanding in the absence of a fading Jakob Poeltl, he averaged 14.4 points on 65.6% shooting in a seven-game series. He added 6.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.1 blocks in 27.3 minutes, and suddenly he looked like one of Toronto’s most important pieces on the floor.
That postseason run helped push him onto the All-Rookie Second Team, a strong finish even if it wasn’t the All-Rookie First Team nod he might have deserved. For the Raptors, it was another sign that the lottery pick has real value.
Now the focus shifts to year two, and the big question is where Murray-Boyles fits. If he’s in the starting five, that’s one path.
If he comes off the bench, he has a case to make as a Sixth Man of the Year candidate. Either way, his offensive growth is going to shape a lot of the conversation around Toronto’s season, especially with Kawhi Leonard’s expected arrival.
The obvious area for improvement is the three-point shot. Murray-Boyles came into the league as a non-shooter, and that part of his game still needs to catch up with everything else he does well.
At South Carolina, he shot 26.5% from deep on about one attempt per game. In his final college season, he took 34 threes and made nine.
That wasn’t a weapon.
There were reasons for concern, too. His NBA Draft Combine shooting footage didn’t exactly help his case, and it was fair to wonder whether Toronto was bringing in another negative floor spacer.
But in his rookie season, he did hit 34.0% from three, even if it came on just 0.9 attempts per game. The sample was tiny, though the jump from college to the pros - 50 attempts and 17 makes - at least pointed in the right direction.
The Raptors have also been showing off his offseason work on social media, and the message is pretty clear: the jumper is trending up. As a lefty, his shot can look a little awkward at first glance, but the recent footage suggests more rhythm and a cleaner motion.
Of course, offseason clips only tell part of the story. Plenty of players look sharper in June and July than they do in October.
Still, for a team trying to fill the spacing loss left by Sandro Mamukelashvili, any real shooting leap from Murray-Boyles would matter. His defense already gives Toronto a lift.
If the three-point shot comes with it, the Raptors get a lot more dangerous.
In Other News...
Raptors Rotation Questions Keep Growing As Kawhi Wait Continues
The Raptors have spent the summer building out their rotation plans, but one of the biggest pieces is still sitting in limbo. Kawhi Leonard is expected to join Toronto for training camp, yet the trade bringing him north has not been fully processed, leaving the front office to keep working through a roster picture that could still change once everything is finalized.
Kyle Anderson is already part of the offseason conversation as the most notable addition, and his role may matter even more if Leonard does arrive as expected. For now, though, Toronto is left balancing possibilities rather than certainties, with player roles and minutes still tied to a deal that has yet to clear the finish line. [Read more 🡒]
Raptors Face A Jakob Poeltl Decision That Could Shape Their Next Move
The Raptors could have a tricky roster and cap question on their hands as the front office weighs the value of Jakob Poeltl against the flexibility his contract might create. With Toronto expected to add Kawhi Leonard in a separate move, the possibility of reshaping the supporting cast around him has already put attention on whether the team wants to keep paying for a veteran center whose deal is tough to move.
One possibility making the rounds would send Poeltl elsewhere in a salary-clearing deal, with Toronto potentially sweetening the return to make the math work. For a Raptors team trying to balance talent, draft assets and room to maneuver, the appeal is obvious, but so is the cost of giving up more future capital just to get out from under a contract. [Read more 🡒]