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Collin Murray-Boyles looks on during the second half against Mississippi at Colonial Life Arena on Feb. 12, 2025, in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)
David Jensen via Getty Images
Summary: Murray-Boyles operates like a defensive savant the way he locks down every position, uses his ninja-quick hands to swipe at the ball, and inhales rebounds. He’s a special defensive presence, and offensively he’s a bulldozer finisher with a playmaking feel. Improving his jumper would move him out of tweener territory and into All-Star status.
Comparisons: Draymond Green, Paul Millsap, Julius Randle
Strengths
Versatile defense: One of the best defenders to enter the draft in recent years. While he’s not the most vertical athlete, few players possess his blend of intellect, strength, hustle, foot speed, length, and coordination. He has a thick, big-bodied frame with a long wingspan well over 7 feet that he uses to smother opponents across positions as a highly switchable defender.
Hand-eye coordination: With amazingly quick hands and reaction time, he seems to get a finger on the ball every time an opponent drives, ruining their rhythm or forcing a turnover. He also has immaculate timing for contesting shots at the rim, with a tendency to swat layups away as if he’s spiking a volleyball.
High defensive IQ: On top of the highlight moments, he has a strong feel for snuffing out opponent actions with positioning, steals, and deflections. His team is better any time he’s in the game: South Carolina was 12.1 points per 100 possessions better on defense with Murray-Boyles on the floor, which CBB Analytics data logs as one of the largest differentials in the nation.
Rebounding: Tenacious on the boards using his strength, and a nose for the ball to grab contested rebounds, both on the offensive and defensive glass.
Post playmaking hub: Displays the feel to make good decisions and accurate passes from all areas and angles on the floor, whether from down low, at the elbows, or in the middle of the floor against zone. As a willing screener, he would make for a great short-roll playmaker in the NBA, especially if he's paired with a dynamic guard.
Interior scoring: With brute strength to muscle through defenders, he also displays smooth footwork and the aptitude to contort himself for skilled finishes. He has soft touch on his hook shots and layups. He could also be used to beat mismatches from the post. But he’ll primarily play off others, rolling off screens, cutting when he sees an opening, and attacking the glass for second chances.
Concerns
Shooting: Currently a liability from outside, and he wasn't a good shooter in high school, either. So, it’s purely a bet on touch that he figures out that part of his game because the results have not come yet from the field or from the line.
Tweener size: Fit will matter significantly since he is not especially tall or explosive, and hasn’t proven he can shoot. And this matters on defense, since he isn’t large enough to be a full-time defender against bigs and isn’t a traditional rim protector.
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