When Collin Murray-Boyles was selected ninth overall by the Toronto Raptors in the 2025 NBA Draft, he made history as the highest-drafted South Carolina Gamecock in the modern era. But nobody could have predicted that just one year later, he’d be the reason Toronto is still alive in a playoff series against one of the Eastern Conference’s toughest teams.
The Columbia native has completely flipped the script in the postseason. After a solid but unspectacular regular season — averaging 8.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.9 assists across 57 games — Murray-Boyles has exploded onto the playoff stage in a way that has teammates, analysts, and fans scrambling to find the right words.
He’s averaging 17 points and 7.3 rebounds through the first four games of Toronto’s first-round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers — numbers that don’t just tell a story of a young player stepping up, but of one fully arriving.
Sunday’s 93-89 Raptors victory over Cleveland may have been his defining moment yet. Murray-Boyles posted 15 points and 10 rebounds, becoming just the third Toronto rookie in franchise history to record a playoff double-double. In a game decided by four points, that kind of two-way production wasn’t a footnote — it was the foundation.
Scottie Barnes, himself one of the league’s brightest young stars, made no attempt to downplay what he’s watching happen in real time.
“He is unbelievable, man. His physicality, force and effort that he brings to every single game is unbelievable. We need him. He is amazing for us. Words can’t even explain what he is doing for this team right now,” Barnes told ESPN’s Jorge Sedano postgame.
When a player of Barnes’ caliber says words can’t explain it, that’s worth paying attention to.
What makes Murray-Boyles’ surge particularly remarkable is the context behind it. The postseason is where most rookies wilt — the pace quickens, the schemes tighten, and the margin for error shrinks to almost nothing. Murray-Boyles has done the opposite, raising his scoring by nearly double and turning into Toronto’s most reliable physical presence against Cleveland’s bruising frontcourt.
Historically, his debut season already stands among the finest ever produced by a former Gamecock in the NBA. His numbers surpass even Hall of Famer Alex English’s first professional year with the Denver Nuggets — a remarkable benchmark considering English went on to become one of the greatest scorers in league history. Only GG Jackson’s 2023-24 campaign — 14.6 points and 4.1 rebounds per game — edges Murray-Boyles out as the best rookie season by a South Carolina alumnus.
Murray-Boyles also carries the weight of program history with him. As a top-14 lottery pick in the modern draft era beginning in 1985, he stands as the first Gamecock ever selected that high. Only Gary Gregor, taken eighth by Phoenix in 1968, and Tom Riker, also taken eighth by the Knicks in 1972, were drafted higher — both in a pre-modern era when the draft looked nothing like it does today.
In other words, South Carolina basketball has never produced a moment quite like this one.
The Raptors and Cavaliers series continues, and Toronto will need Murray-Boyles to keep delivering if they want to advance. Based on everything he’s shown so far, that doesn’t seem like too much to ask.
Gamecock Alumni: NBA Rookie Season Numbers at a Glance
Here’s a breakdown of how some of South Carolina’s standout players performed during their first year in the league, based on regular season statistics alone.
GG Jackson set the bar as the most productive Gamecock rookie in recent memory, putting up 14.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game for the Memphis Grizzlies in 2023-24. Brian Winters wasn’t far behind historically, contributing 11.7 points, 2.9 assists, and 2.0 rebounds for the Phoenix Suns back in 1974-75. His fellow Sun Gary Gregor made an impression of his own in 1968-69 with 11.1 points and a strong 8.9 rebounds per night.
Collin Murray-Boyles posted a modest but promising debut for the Toronto Raptors this past season — 8.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.9 assists — numbers that look even more interesting given his postseason explosion. Cedrick Hordges was quietly effective for the Denver Nuggets in 1980-81, chipping in 8.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.
Perhaps the most surprising entry belongs to Alex English, who managed just 5.2 points and 2.8 rebounds in his first year with the Milwaukee Bucks in 1976-77 — a humbling start for a player who would go on to become an NBA Hall of Famer. Renaldo Balkman averaged 4.9 points and 4.3 rebounds for the New York Knicks in 2006-07, while Mike Dunleavy Sr. contributed 4.1 points and 1.8 assists for the Philadelphia 76ers that same season. Tom Owens matched Dunleavy’s scoring with 4.1 points and added 3.1 rebounds for the Houston Rockets in 1976-77. Rounding out the list, Sindarius Thornwell averaged 3.9 points and 1.9 rebounds in limited action for the Los Angeles Clippers during 2017-18.
