The Toronto Raptors may have found one of the league’s next defensive monsters in Collin Murray-Boyles, and he’s only one season into his NBA career.
That’s a pretty striking place to be after a rookie year cut short by a thumb injury, but Murray-Boyles still played 57 regular-season games and managed to make an immediate impact. His defense was the separator right away. Put him alongside Scottie Barnes, and Toronto had a frontcourt pairing that gave opponents real problems.
By the time the playoffs arrived, Murray-Boyles had climbed to third on the Raptors in productivity behind RJ Barrett and Barnes, even though he was coming off the bench. He also outplayed starting center Jakob Poeltl, which tells you how quickly he forced his way into the team’s plans.
The Raptors are still opening the season with Murray-Boyles as a reserve, but the long-term picture is already bright. He looks like a player with franchise centerpiece upside and the kind of defensive chops that could put him in All-Defensive territory before long. Opposing offenses may want to start preparing now.
Bleacher Report slotted the 21-year-old 12th in its top-30 defender rankings heading into the 2026-27 season. For a player who has not even completed a fully healthy season, that’s a strong sign of how fast his reputation is growing. He’s already knocking on the door of the elite tier, and there’s every reason to think he keeps climbing.
This season could be a big one for him on both ends. His development is one of the most intriguing pieces of Toronto’s 2026-27 outlook, right alongside Kawhi Leonard’s return to the franchise.
Murray-Boyles slimmed down during the offseason and added running to his routine to sharpen his conditioning. He also worked on his 3-point shot and on the confidence to let it go when he has space.
So far in preseason, he is 2-of-4 from deep.
If Darko Rajakovic doesn’t decide that Murray-Boyles is a better fit as the starting center than Poeltl, or if injuries don’t force the issue, he has a real path to Sixth Man of the Year consideration. The offensive numbers should keep coming, and the defense is already there. That combination makes him a weapon off the bench and a useful option in the starting lineup whenever Poeltl is out.
He should also be a fixture in closing lineups. With Leonard on the roster, Toronto has the makings of a strong regular-season team, barring a major injury.
The one wrinkle is how a Sixth Man push could affect his All-Defensive case. In the last three years, no pure reserve has made either All-Defensive Team. Murray-Boyles would have to be outstanding to break through, especially with Barnes expected to be Toronto’s most likely representative and the player who draws much of that attention.
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Raptors Just Made Their Center Problem Even Harder To Ignore
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Nate Bittle, Jamarion Sharp and Nimari Burnett are among the names that could be in the mix for those openings, while former Raptors draft pick Christian Koloko is also being mentioned as a possibility. No signings have been reported yet, so the next move will say plenty about how the Raptors want to address a position that is suddenly impossible to ignore. [Read more 🡒]