How Collin Murray-Boyles Fared in his First Preseason Game

Toronto Raptors rookie Collin Murray-Boyles reportedly impressed upon beginning training camp, with many saying he looked like one of the team's best players. 

In their opening practice, Murray-Boyles' physicality stood out, and he made life tough for all-star teammates Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes. 

The 6-foot-7 forward carried that momentum into his first preseason game against Denver, but was not as impactful as he’s been in training camp. 

Murray-Boyles struggled offensively, scoring four points on 2-for-7 shooting and going 0-for-3 from behind the arc. The Nuggets gave him space to hurt them from three, and he’ll have to continue to work on his shot to give himself a stronger chance to stay on the floor. All three shots were short and ended up on the front of the rim, which signals that he needs to add more elevation and power from his lower body.  

Despite the struggles with efficiency, the Raptors' ninth-overall pick did show flashes of how he can be effective on offense. He did a good job rolling to the basket and getting himself open looks, but was missed by his guards on what would have been a few easy buckets. 

His most impressive offensive play came on a drive where he blew past Nikola Jokic, who was sagging off his jumper, for an easy layup. Driving has been an underrated and overlooked facet of Murray-Boyles' game. He scored 0.92 points per drive in college and shot 68 percent at the rim. The bucket against arguably the best player in the world is a glimpse of the offensive value the rookie can bring against slower-footed bigs. 

Defensively, the former No. 9 pick got some early welcome-to-the-NBA moments against  Jokic and Jonas Valanciunas.  Murray-Boyles picked up two quick fouls, one on a heave and the other on a Jokic drive where he was a bit too physical. 

Valanciunas used his size to grab an offensive rebound and drew another foul on Murray-Boyles, who had to be overaggressive to compensate for his size disadvantage. The rookie will have to continue to be aggressive and make opponents work for their buckets while staying out of foul trouble to maximize his time on the floor. 

Murray-Boyles fits the identity of who the Raptors want to be this season — aggressive, versatile and high-IQ players. Although his preseason debut wasn’t ideal, he still showed encouraging signs of how he can be effective in year one.