Collin Murray-Boyles has been one of the more difficult players to evaluate in this NBA Draft. Measuring 6-foot-6.5 with a wingspan over 7-feet, Murray-Boyles is coming off his second season at South Carolina, in which he averaged 16.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks per game. He is a high-level defender who has a talent that pops, but there are still some concerns with how he fits in at the NBA level. The 20-year-old shot just 26.5% from beyond the three-point arc on just 1.1 perimeter shots per game.
Murray-Boyles currently holds +160 odds of being selected in the top 10 on DraftKings Sportsbook. He also holds a draft position over/under line of 14.5 with the under favored at -120 odds.
Collin Murray-Boyles Analysis:
Murray-Boyles was considered the 108th-ranked recruit in the 2023 recruiting class, per 247 Sports. Originally born in South Carolina, he committed to play for the Gamecocks, where he spent two seasons. The 20-year-old flirted with the NBA Draft last year, but elected to return for another season of college and did a nice job boosting his draft stock. He saw his numbers improve from 10.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists as a freshman to 16.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists this season. The shooting remains a work in progress, but Murray-Boyles, shot just five total three-point attempts in his freshman season and was 9-for-34 this year.
How much he improves as a shooter will play a role in deciding Murray-Boyles’ ceiling, but he does have a good baseline for NBA-level impact. The South Carolina standout plays a physical brand of basketball and is one of the strongest players in this class. He has a lefty release with a jump shot that looks promising even if the numbers aren’t there yet.
Murray-Boyles has an impressive feel for the game with quick processing on the floor. He is a high-level playmaker at his size who rewards cutters and does a nice job finding perimeter shooters. His handle is a bit too left-hand dependent, but he is quick to use his burst and athleticism to beat most matchups of the dribble.
Defense will likely always be his calling card as an NBA player. Murray-Boyles is disruptive on this end of the floor with his wingspan and athleticism to deter shots at the rim and get in passing lanes. He will be capable of defending multiple positions in the NBA and will fit in a defense that prefers to switch.
Murray-Boyles has stretches where he can be a bit too disengaged on both sides of the ball. His rebounding numbers are also underwhelming relative to expectation and role, which is worth monitoring at the professional level.
The biggest concern with Murray-Boyles will be his positional fit at the NBA level. Shooting is a premium more than ever in the NBA, and his combination of size and lack of shooting is a concern. Murray-Boyles is not big enough to serve as a full-time center against all matchups in the first place, and he likely needs a unique pairing to maximize his skillset. He also served as the full-time hub of the offense at South Carolina, and there is a concern that some of his value as a playmaker and decision-maker would decrease in a lower usage role. If his shooting improves, there is a clear lane for him to operate as a forward or wing, but the 39 three-point attempts across two years of college basketball are not overly encouraging. Murray-Boyles is a caliber of talent worth taking a chance on, but the team that ultimately drafts him will have to be a bit creative in their lineup combinations.
Collin Murray-Boyles Draft Odds:
Looking at the odds on DraftKings Sportsbook, Murray-Boyles currently holds:
- +5000 odds of being the 6th pick
- +3500 odds of being the 7th pick
- +2500 odds of being the 8th pick
- +900 odds of being the 9th pick
- +550 odds of being the 10th pick
- +160 odds of being drafted in the Top 10
There is a fairly consensus top six in this NBA Draft with Tre Johnson, Ace Bailey, Kon Knueppel, and V.J. Edgecombe expected to follow Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper in some combination. The draft opens up a bit past this point with arguments to be made about talents like Khaman Maluach, Derik Queen, Jeremiah Fears, Noa Essengue, Carter Bryant and a few others.
While Murray-Boyles is right in the conversation with each of these names from a talent perspective, his questionable NBA role and fit make the top 10 target feel ambitious. The 14.5 line of where he will be drafted feels more accurate in evaluating his range, and I like the under of him being drafted in the first 14. But it feels much more likely it is in the 11-14 range than above. I would avoid taking the +160 swing for him to be one of the first 10 players selected in this year’s NBA Draft. It takes just one team to think differently and prove this wrong, which makes handicapping the draft so difficult, but expect Murray-Boyles to remain out of the top 10 on Wednesday.
