An excerpt from Samson & Louis’ upcoming podcast, focusing on Collin Murray-Boyles.
A very interesting topic!
Here’s more on CMB’s game, from Samson:
“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.”
“Here’s the numbers:
Height: 6’6.5″ / Wingspan: 7’0.75″ / Standing Reach: 8’10” / 239 lbs
16.8 ppg / 8.3 rbs / 2.4 asts / 1.5 stls / 1.3 blks / .586/.265/.707 / 63% TS
The most alluring aspect of Murray-Boyles’ game is his defense. Despite being undersized for a power forward (and very much so at the NBA level), he combines his length with explosive movement, aggression, and almost preternatural ability to read offensive players – to blow up plays constantly.
“My physical presence. That’s something that I feel puts me ahead of a lot of defenders. My willingness to defend, that’s my #1 thing. That’s what gets me going in games. That’s what gets my team going – when I’m playing defense.” Murray-Boyles said after being drafted. “And that’s something that I know my team needs from me. So, they’ll (Raptors) be getting a hard player and a hard worker for sure.”
Bobby Webster echoed that sentiment: “We had our eye on him going into the season. Elite defence, versatile, good hands. He has a chance to be a really, really good defender in the NBA.”
Have a blessed day.
