Collin Murray-Boyles shows glimpse of bright future in Raptors win
It was evident from the outset. Clear for everyone to see. Collin Murray-Boyles was going to stick his hand in every cookie jar available, feast however possible, and impact the game everyway he knew how. So far in this Summer League the Raptors have been asking him to subsist on everything being tertiary, with very little in the way of dedicated looks or attention – which worked well enough (as he helped win minutes and amassed a bunch of extra possessions for the team) but he’s a better player than his early usage indicated, and we saw that put to the test early on in the fourth game of the tournament.
By the time the first half had wrapped up, CMB was leading the Raptors in points, rebounds, steals, and should’ve been in assists if not for shoddy shot-making by the roster around him. He was ever present defensively, popping up in the lane to play goalie against would be drivers, stepping out on ball handlers above the break to act as a guardrail; and overwhelming whatever offensive player had the bad luck of stumbling into his midst. He jumpstarted a lot of possessions after rebounds — his hands operating as if they were giant hooks with super glue attached to them — and must have collected nearly 10 deflections in his first 12 minutes of play. That’s a lot of the stuff we expected, and a continuation of his first two games.
Offensively though, they looked for him early. They tried to short the pick n’ roll to him early on (Castleton missed the pass), they used him as a screener more often, and he took the green lights ahead of him and punched gaps as a driver. He made high level reads out of handoff sequences, often times out-foxing the defense in where they thought the play would progress to. We even got the fade right pop out of the pnp from him, which I highlighted might be his most successful form of 3-point look, and he banged a triple, moving him up to 40-percent (2/5) from downtown at Summer League. Very low volume.
With both Walter & Shead struggling immensely to start (and with Mogbo out in this one), Murray-Boyles ascension to best player on the floor was not only a very welcome sight for the Raptors newly minted lottery pick, but an absolute necessity as they needed everything they could get from him to storm back from a double-digit deficit that amassed during a 14-0 run for the Warriors.
The Raptors did climb back, and did so as the veterans (relative to Summer League) rounded into form. A heave from Walter dropped in. Battle showed off a good bit of offensive savvy as he drove to the bucket twice (one for a scoop layup and the other a great decel floater) before he banged in a triple. Welcome sights, all of it. But still, halfway through the 3rd quarter, Walter, Shead, and Castleton had combined to shoot 2 of 18 with 5 turnovers and 2 assists. Ghastly stuff. Still, the Raptors were only stuck 1 at that point. 47-46, but they saw it stretch to a 5-point deficit before Murray-Boyles checked back in… and stole the lead right back.
A couple Alijah Martin free throws broke the run (he scored the ball pretty well tonight, by the way), but a 6-0 personal run from CMB (finish in the lane off a drive from Lawson, swipe a ball in the backcourt and punch home a dunk, finish a put back on a Shead missed layup) rocketed the Raptors back out in front and forced the Warriors to call a timeout. A sterling stretch of basketball, and one that the Raptors managed to carry through the rest of the third quarter as Murray-Boyles hit the bench for another rest. They hit the fourth up by 8 points. 62-53.
“It’s defense. It’s really that simple.” – Murray-Boyles describing the Raptors success, and process
“He’s got a third of their production. And then some.” – Broadcast on Murray-Boyles
It was the defense that kept the Raptors clear down the stretch of this one. They didn’t get too many shots to go, but they more than doubled the Warriors in the turnover battle, and they worked their behinds off to deliver easy looks out in transition. Every time the Warriors came up the court, it was another beatdown of pressure. They shot terribly from the floor, and still managed to grind their way to another win. The Raptors have turned their opponents over 117 times over the course of Summer League. Nuts.
The Raptors have been relying on their seasoned professionals to score, and their team to defend in scheme to bulldoze their way through Summer League. Tonight their most intriguing player, and their shiny, new lottery pick dominated and led the way to keep his team’s undefeated streak and their championship hopes alive. Murray-Boyles led them in points (20), rebounds (9), and steals (4). 10 extra possessions for his team tonight, by the way. Great to see.
Have a blessed day.
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