Not only did the ninth overall pick in the 2025 draft have to push back his professional debut by a couple of days as he nursed a hamstring strain (the team said it was an adductor strain originally) from early June, causing him to miss the Raptors’ Summer League opener on Friday, but he’s the rare lottery pick to choose to play a second year of college at South Carolina.
“I set a goal my junior year (of high school) to do two years of college, to one, learn the game first, and then two, utilize the game,” he said in an interview this week. “I was going to be 19 coming out of my sophomore year, so I knew I had time on my side. So, just utilizing what I learned my first year to really put myself out there.”
Coming down with mononucleosis, which delayed the start of his college season, was a factor, too.
“I didn’t feel like I put myself out there in a good light, because, obviously, I was sick the first half of the first season, so I felt like I had more to prove,” said Murray-Boyles. “(But) shoot, if I wasn’t sick, I probably would have come out that first year. It’s just, you know, God has a plan, and I follow the plan willingly.”
Was it the right decision?
“I was the number nine pick. I feel like that’s almost self-explanatory.”
But the wait to see some version of NBA action was finally over Sunday as Murray-Boyles started for the Raptors in their grimy 89-86 win over the Orlando Magic to push their Summer League record to 2-0.
“It was amazing. Since my hamstring, that was my first time going in — it’s been a minute, about a month and a half (since he had played five-on-five),” he said. “So just to get back out there, get the feel out there, it’s amazing. And I’m glad to do it with these guys. They put a lot of energy into me.”
Murray-Boyles was understandably rusty. His first stint of action was less than four minutes long, but was enough time for him to airball a three, make a turnover, get out of breath and generally look a bit discombobulated.
“I had to get him out of there really quick,” said Raptors Summer League head coach James Wade. “You know that first wind, when you’re not used to playing at that rhythm and speed, and everybody on the court is playing for something … you got 10 hungry guys on the floor at all times … but I thought he responded well. And, you know, we leaned on him a lot in the second half.”
After falling behind by 11 late in the first quarter, the Raptors scored seven unanswered points in less than a minute before the buzzer sounded on the quarter to build some momentum. They kept it going when A.J. Lawson scored 11 of his team-best 21 points in a two-minute surge early in the second quarter. Murray-Boyles’ first professional bucket came on a dunk finishing a pick-and-roll with Lawson, which completed a 27-5 run that put Toronto up by eight.
But Murray-Boyles showed more of his game in the second half of what was a tight contest to the final buzzer, mainly because the Raptors shot just 27-of-43 from the free-throw line and 8-of-26 from the three-point line. This somewhat offset the 44 points they were able to generate from the 29 turnovers they forced the Magic into making, after forcing the Chicago Bulls into 33 turnovers in the Raptors’ win on Thursday.
“I mean, this is what I just told the group,” said Wade. “Like, some people are born to be models, like me. Some people are born to be firemen. Some people are born to be policemen. That group in the locker room, they’re born to play defence. So they have to really buy into it.
“… It’s good when you get a chance to win a game like this, because you still got so much more that you can improve on. So the guys will be locked in knowing that they can play better.”
Murray-Boyles’ contributions came on a couple of second-half sequences. His most highlight-worthy came late in the third quarter when he blocked a shot at the rim on one end and then sprinted the floor to smash home a put-back dunk at the other. Defensively, the six-foot-seven forward showed his versatility guarding the ball full court on multiple possessions. A deflection turned into a fast break for Lawson, and he grabbed a pair of crucial offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter as the Raptors held off the Magic down the stretch.
Even if Murray-Boyles’ boxscore line — eight points, seven rebounds and five turnovers in 23 minutes — doesn’t scream ‘spectacular debut,’ there was plenty to like: five of his rebounds were on the offensive end, he made three steals and blocked a shot. His presence was felt.
“I’m trying to do as many little things as possible to get my team in a better position to win,” he said. “We all had really good highlights and really good play down the stretch. We need it from everybody, (but) that’s something that I have to do. That’s something I owe to them, owe to my coaches, owe to everybody, everybody watching, especially the Raptors fanbase this year.”
1. Lawson cooks: A.J. Lawson is still fighting for a roster spot with a non-guaranteed contract for next season, but he’s making a strong case for himself. Offensively, he’s been a firecracker off the bench for the Raptors. The Mississauga native led Toronto in scoring in both games, averaging 21.5 points while shooting 60 per cent from the floor and 60 per cent from three while contributing five assists, four steals and a blocked shot.
2. Visitor for Martin: Alijah Martin was about to inbound the ball when he heard a familiar voice call his name — it was Florida head coach Todd Golden, seated courtside with Raptors general manager Bobby Webster. Martin won a national championship for Golden this past April. “It surprised me, threw me off for a minute,” said Martin, who shared a warm embrace with his former coach afterwards. Martin was 1-of-7 from the floor and 0-of-5 from three for the game, but he was still a team-best plus-14 in his 16 minutes of action.
3. A Mogbo among boys: Jonathan Mogbo might be too good for Summer League. Through two games, he’s 12-of-17 from the floor, seemingly in every play defensively and part of all kinds of linking plays on the offensive end. “He plays at a different pace (than last season),” said Wade. “He’s more aggressive, especially going towards the rim. He knows he belongs. You’re talking about a guy who had two triple-doubles last year, and you know his length and his disruption just bother people, and he knows that, and he also has a feel for the ball offensively. You know, when to make passes, when to make cuts. The game has slowed down for him…”
