CALGARY — Joining the Toronto Raptors as a young player has been paradise for the past few seasons.
While on many teams, roles for young players can be limited and playing time scarce, the Raptors have been running the NBA’s equivalent of an open tryout since they pivoted to rebuilding in the middle of the 2023-24 season.
Last year, with development taking a higher priority than wins as the club tried to position itself to have the best possible odds in the draft lottery, the path towards minutes was as wide as the Trans-Canada Highway running from here to Banff.
Three of the four rookies the Raptors added via the draft — Ja’Kobe Walter, Jonathan Mogbo and Jamal Shead — all averaged around 20 minutes a game and combined to make 47 starts. Jamison Battle, who was eventually signed after beginning his career as an undrafted free agent with a training camp deal last year, averaged nearly 18 minutes a game and made 10 starts. Only the Washington Wizards gave more playing time to rookies last season than Toronto did.
This season, the Raptors drafted two rookies — Collin Murray-Boyles, taken ninth overall and Alijah Martin, taken 39th.
But times have changed. The chances of either Murray-Boyles or Martin averaging 20 minutes per game lie somewhere between slim and none, and if either of them is starting big chunks of games, it will be a sign that things have not gone as planned. Martin will likely see most of his playing time with Raptors 905. Murray-Boyles might too, but as a lottery pick, he’s going to get his fair share of chances to find a niche with the big team.
But the competition is a by-product of Toronto expecting to have newcomer Brandon Ingram ready and available as a starter, along with incumbent point guard Immanuel Quickley, who was limited by injury to just 33 games last season.
And then there’s the bulge of young players — not only the four aforementioned rookies from last season but also fourth-year wing Ochai Agbaji and third-year wing Gradey Dick — who will be jostling for minutes too.
It’s a good problem to have for head coach Darko Rajakovic, but it represents a mountain to climb for Murray-Boyles, even as the club’s No. 9 pick.
Fortunately, the 20-year-old South Carolina product has a good attitude about the whole venture: put the work in, no guarantees.
His first goal is to make life difficult at practice for those who will be playing the bulk of the minutes during games.
“Really, just my mindset coming into it, it’s really just what I can give these guys?” He said after the Raptors’ second day of training camp at the University of Calgary. “Obviously, I want to give them the hardest time on (defence) … that’s how I’m making them better, especially the offensive heavy guys that the offence flows through. I want to make it as hard as possible on them, so it’s easier for them in the games. So just trying to bring an edge to the team, just trying to figure out how I can contribute.”
His efforts have been noted. At 6-foot-7 with long arms, broad shoulders and quick feet, Murray-Boyles was drafted in large part because he projects as a good fit with how the Raptors want play: aggressive and disruptive on defence, fast and decisive on offence.
And even if the path to steady minutes may not be as open as it has been in the recent past, Murray-Boyles has cleared an important first hurdle: earning the respect of his veteran teammates, who have made an effort to make the rookie feel comfortable.
“Obviously, I came in with an expectation of what an NBA player is like or what they go through. But these guys, this coaching staff, they make it easier, I’m not going to lie,” said Murray-Boyles. “Everybody’s talking about being on your own and figuring out on your own, but these guys have been supporting me, talking me through it, helping me be a better player, and it’s showing early on.”
With the Raptors emphasizing playing the projected starters — Scottie Barnes, Ingram, Quickley, RJ Barrett and Jakob Poeltl — as a unit as much as possible, it’s meant that Murray-Boyles has already soaked up a significant number of reps guarding the likes of Barnes and Ingram, and he’s made his presence felt.
“Collin is super physical, super aggressive on the defensive side. You know, he’s a beast, he’s a monster,” said Barnes on Wednesday. “Where he’s able to get those deflections, he’s going to be dangerous in transition, where he’s able to show his athleticism. Because (he’s) very athletic for (his) size. He’s very strong. He’s got a lot of great tools. His game is going to keep developing. It’s only his first year, so he has a lot to learn, but he’s going to keep developing and keep growing.”
And it’s not like Rajakovic hasn’t envisioned a scenario where Murray-Boyles plays a meaningful role this season. The third-year head coach has sent the message that he expects his club to be in the mix for the playoffs this season after winning 55 games combined in his first two years on the job, but he believes winning and player development aren’t entirely mutually exclusive.
He sees Murray-Boyles as a potential fixture on the second unit, possibly playing in lineups alongside Barnes and newly signed centre Sandro Mamukelashvili as three interchangeable parts on defence and offence.
“Offensively, he can pass the ball really well, so we’d like to see the ball in his hands,” said Rajakovic. “Is that bringing the ball up? Is that attacking closeouts? Is it going to be some pick-and-rolls or pick-and-pops? I think he can do quite a bit for us. It’s going to be really interesting pairing him up with Sandro, together with Scottie. Who is the roller? Who is spacing? I think it’s going to open up a lot of options for us offensively.”
But the rookie is under no illusions himself. He’s lucky to be joining the Raptors when the team’s fortunes should be on the upswing, but it means that his opportunity to gain meaningful playing time will have to be earned, rather than given.
“You know who’s on the team, like, all these guys are crazy good,” he said. “So, matching up with all of them, (Ingram) and Scottie, I match up with the most probably, and (Quickley) — he’s just fast as hell. It’s a whole bunch of different types of play styles that I play against on a daily basis, and it’s only getting me better.”
In the long run, that should make the Raptors better, but Murray-Boyles’ route to regular playing time will require it.
