agreed with this
Darko has to be creative especially with our lack of shooting
9. Toronto Raptors
Collin Murray-Boyles | 6-7 | 20 years old | South Carolina
Vecenie’s ranking: 8
Given Murray-Boyles’ profile, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that he is quite polarizing for NBA teams. Some see a dynamic, multi-positional defender whom they can work with as a shooter to get true difference-making outcomes. In those cases, teams tend to think they could even play Murray-Boyles minutes at the five because of how strong he is through his chest, allowing him to play more as a screen-and-short-roll player on offense to mitigate some of the spacing concerns of playing him away from the center position. Other teams see him as more of a guy who’s caught between positions and could struggle to make an impact unless the jumper ends up coming through, since he’s not a downhill, athletic force.
I have Murray-Boyles ranked eighth, and I can assure you, if I were on the NBA team side, I would not have him here. In that case, I’d have a specific situation I’d be drafting him into and thus would know how likely it would be that my coaching staff could get the best out of him. If I were in that situation, there’s a case I would have Murray-Boyles as high as No. 5 — if I had the right players and a creative coach with him. But if I were in a situation in which I felt like my coaching staff wouldn’t know how to best use him because of the roster fit around him, I’d probably have him outside the lottery. I have him slotted here as a nice middle ground between those two outcomes. More than anything, I am hopeful Murray-Boyles can continue working on his shot, and that he gets selected by a coach who is creative defensively and lets him loose in ways that allow him to thrive.
Hollinger’s analysis: This pick may surprise some people, but I had Murray-Boyles as the No. 6 prospect on my board. I think he’s the best defender in the draft, and his offensive game is coming along enough to be projectible as a quality role player at worse. The lefty needs to lose some weight to move from a college center to a pro forward and has to develop his right hand and his 3-point shot, but both his feet and feel are elite.