RJ Barrett and Jamal Shead, Murray-Boyles’ teammates, were talking about the rookie’s unusual sturdiness for a first-year player. You know how “Once he gets stronger…” leads most projections about a prospect’s potential? Well, that doesn’t apply to Murray-Boyles, who, listed at 6-foot-7 and 245 pounds, is not getting any help from the league’s trusted measurement monitors.
In trying to come up with a comparison for a younger rookie who so clearly looked like a sixth-year vet upon entering the league, Barrett brought up his collegiate teammate, Zion Williamson, in a mostly empty locker room after the Raptors had tied their first-round series 2-2 on Sunday. Forget about Williamson’s injury-riddled career when thinking about the two; instead, focus on the “How can someone so young look like that?” feeling that both produced in their rookie year.
“They’re from the same place,” said Shead, referring to South Carolina. Shead and Barrett stood and thought about that, as if they were thinking of the body of water that might have been powering them when they were young. Murray-Boyles, 20, continued to move around as if the conversation were not happening. Indeed, nothing about the playoffs seems like it’s too much for last June’s ninth pick of the draft.
“Really just not being afraid of the moment,” Murray-Boyles said after Game 3 when asked what has allowed him to produce in the playoffs. “(Those are) really good guys we’re playing against. This is a really, really good team. (They) have one of my favorite players (James Harden) on that team, so it’s just not being scared we’re going up against and really just taking it to them.”
Murray-Boyles has done just that, and in the process has perhaps become the last gift of this year’s bountiful rookie class, even if San Antonio’s Dylan Harper will likely have the biggest impact on the title race of any first-year player. You might have missed Murray-Boyles this season, as he was coming off the bench for the Raptors, not exactly a spot ripe for league-wide attention. He was massive as they weathered the back injury of their only true centre, Jakob Poeltl, during the regular season. He is a physical, tough defender at every position, although the Raptors used him to guard bigs more often than guards.
You cannot have missed what he has done in the playoffs, though. He has scored 68 points and grabbed 31 rebounds in the series so far, becoming the first Raptors rookie to score in double digits in his first four playoff games. While he is not the floor-spacing threat the Raptors badly need, he has figured out ways to fit around Scottie Barnes’ and RJ Barrett’s bully ball and Brandon Ingram’s misfiring midrange work.
“Literally, I think it was maybe like four weeks ago, five weeks ago, that he started working with (assistant) coach Ivo (Simović) on his floaters. I’ll let you sit on that for a second,” Raptors coach Darko Rajaković said. “Four, five weeks ago, and the way he’s shooting floaters now shows you the talent that he is. Talent is not, in my mind, something that God gave you, your physique or athletic abilities. It’s your ability to learn and implement what you’re working on. He’s one of the most talented players I’ve ever been around in that regard.”
The Raptors will presumably spend the next few years trying to expand Murray-Boyles’ shooting range — he showed promise on a very small sample early in the year before he suffered a thumb injury in December — but he and Barnes share excellent passing vision. It’s easy to imagine him making decisions as a roll man on the 4-on-3, should the Raptors ever acquire a pick-and-roll guard who can draw that sort of attention. His kickout to Ingram after an offensive rebound — the quickness of the decision, as well as the force and accuracy of the pass — in Game 4 was notable. That was perhaps the biggest basket in the Raptors’ comeback.
Murray-Boyles separates himself with his defensive aptitude, though. Rookies, by rule, are not good defenders; what Murray-Boyles is doing in this series is on the verge of All-Defense team stuff. He has been strong enough to battle on the glass with Jarrett Allen, smart enough to thwart James Harden’s playmaking mastery and nimble enough to switch out on to guards when necessary.
The latter was the highlight on Sunday. With the Cavaliers trying to tie the game with a 3 in the final seconds, Murray-Boyles got switched on to Donovan Mitchell. The reigning All-NBA First Team member faked a shot that got Murray-Boyles off his feet — but just barely. He controlled his reaction, inched closer to Mitchell but avoided initiating contact, and got his hands up. Mitchell had to lean forward to try to get the contact, missing badly.
“For him to be a rookie and be able to do that and in that position to stay down, not put his hand in the cookie jar and not to put and not get too close on the shot, to not foul in that situation, and still be aggressive shows you how much he’s grown,” Raptors veteran Garrett Temple said.
“He guarded me all preseason and I know how well he guards,” Barnes added. “We was trusting him right there. We’re going to ride with CMB.”
That goes for this series and beyond. Just after halftime in Game 4, the Cavaliers made a point of getting Evan Mobley the ball and going at Poeltl. They got two easy buckets. Murray-Boyles came in shortly after and changed the dynamic. Mobley was barely heard from again, scoring just two points after Murray-Boyles replaced Poeltl midway through the quarter. (The bucket, again, came when the Cavs attacked Poeltl.) According to NBA.com’s matchup data, the Cavaliers have scored just 48 points in 70 possessions when the rookie has guarded Mobley in the series. With Barnes needed to slow down Harden, Murray-Boyles has been massive in that sense.
It seemed likely before, but it’s clear now: This is the Raptors’ future. Murray-Boyles and Barnes are so malleable as defenders and so good, not just capable, in so many ways, that they can be the foundation of an excellent defence for years to come. That makes Murray-Boyles, and not any of his well-compensated teammates who are closer to their primes, the most important player on the roster after Barnes.
“Most of the time, (we) really don’t have to talk to each other to know where we’re supposed to be or know where we got each other’s back,” Murray-Boyles said of playing with Barnes. “We kind of built that as the season’s gone along. … (We know) how we can help off the ball, just the tenacity we have on the ball. We both are going to try our hardest to … get the stop.”
It’s unclear how the Raptors will go about building around them. Having Immanuel Quickley, not playing in this series because of a hamstring injury, would help; having a more dynamic guard who can truly run the offence would be better. Whether it is Poeltl or someone else, the Raptors will need a 7-footer, if only to eat some minutes and help on the defensive glass.
It’s undeniable, however: After just four playoff games, Murray-Boyles has proven that he is a dude.
“What I love about CMB is he’s the ultimate competitor,” Rajaković said. “He is a winner. He is a warrior. He does not care who’s on the other side. He does not care what (your name is). He does not care about your previous achievements. He does not get fazed by that.”