Toronto Raptors Draft Collin Murray-Boyles with No. 9 Pick

The 2025 NBA Draft officially kicked off tonight, with Duke’s Cooper Flagg officially hearing his name called first by the Mavericks, followed up by the Spurs calling on Rutgers guard Dylan Harper.

From there, the rest of the lottery ended up being a fascinating time in the draft as each selection was a domino that impacted the next several picks. With the ninth overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, the Toronto Raptors selected Collin Murray-Boyles.

Murray-Boyles is undersized for a forward, but has defensive versatility which is well worth a lottery pick. He's a smart player on both ends, and while he isn't a perimter shooter at this point, he has the chance to be one of the best young defenders in the league.

Per an earlier scouting report from NBA Draft on SI: The rising prospect is a strong combo forward with an interesting skillset. Murray-Boyles plays with power and force, but isn’t really a vertical athlete. As such, he’s the size of an NBA wing but plays like more of an undersized big as of today. He’s incredibly effective at the rim, and that’s where he takes most of his shots.

It's difficult to predict how Toronto will approach the upcoming season, but there's a real indication that the Raptors want to compete now. Especially with how wide open the Eastern Conference is, a quality offseason from Toronto could result in a trip to the playoffs.

The Raptors also have an early second-round pick, but don't be surprised if this team remains active the rest of tonight and into tomorrow. Whether Toronto tries trading into another first-round pick or makes an even bigger splash on the trade market, this is a wildcard team.

The next major milestone in the NBA offseason will be the 2025 NBA 2K25 Summer League held in Las Vegas, NV, which will take place from July 10-20.