Murray-Boyles continues to impress for Raptors as he learns the ropes in NBA

TORONTO – RJ Barrett and Brandon Ingram provided plenty of offence for the Toronto Raptors in their third win of the young season, but it was rookie Collin Murray-Boyles who received plenty of the post-game praise.

In only his fifth NBA game, the 20-year-old University of South Carolina product continued to impress as the Raptors won back-to-back games for the first time this season, a 117-104 victory against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Murray-Boyles scored 15 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and set up teammates for five baskets before 16,746 fans at Scotiabank Arena.

“I don’t think he’s playing like a rookie right now,” said Barrett, who scored a game-high 27 points. “He’s playing very well. He’s having some big minutes, especially in these first couple of games.

“I remember being a rookie; it was hard to figure it out. But he was playing physical. He’s not afraid, he’s doing the right stuff. I mean, he’s playing great.”

Murray-Boyles was selected ninth overall at the 2025 NBA draft. His early-season play has earned the trust of his new teammates and the Raptors coaching staff.

“He’s a very talented basketball player,” Toronto head coach Darko Rajakovic said. “He has such a good feel for the game (with his) spacing. He’s really good in his role with his pick-and-rolls. Tonight, he had one lob dunk that Brandon Ingram threw to him. He just does a good job of being in the right place, and he competes at a really, really high level.

“I do think that it’s not talked enough about how good a passer he is. But he’s also adjusting to the speed of the game as well. You saw that in one transition, he just threw the ball out. But then all of that is part of learning. So I think he’s doing a really good job.”

Murray-Boyles credits his work in the summer as the reason he’s been able to step in and contribute right away.

He played for the Raptors in the NBA summer league, then worked out with other Raptors before training camp and his crash course in the pre-season games.

“You have all that to adjust,” he said. “If I make a mistake, I just try to learn from it.”

Barrett’s hot start also has a lot to do with his work in the summer. Rajakovic revealed that Barrett worked long hours at the Raptors’ practice facility, working on his jumper.

But he also believes not having to play for Canada on the international scene in the summer has helped in the rest department.

“I can feel the difference now already in the season,” Barrett said. “And also just feeling a lot better coming into the season, feeling more fresh. Having more energy in these games, it’s definitely a lot different coming in, having the whole summer, not having played during the summer. I’m excited about it.”

Barrett added that he’s no longer the opponent’s sole focus with Ingram on the scene.

“With (Ingram) coming, the shots are a lot easier for me,” Barrett said. “There’s another threat out there that the team has to worry about. So, I think we’re doing a good job of, you know, everybody sharing the ball, being in the flow.

“And we’re kind of all sharing ball up, to be honest.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 2, 2025.