Collin Murray-Boyles

Every year we get a player scouts wishcast into the very hard to achieve Draymond Green archetype and CMB might be the closest I have seen to having a chance to hit that lofty target.

Offense

Murray-Boyles is a smart, physical player who is a better scorer and creator than past Draymond archetypes.  He’s a bit of a Swiss Army knife but offensively, I am a bit unsure what’s his go-to or bread and butter, especially at the next level.

CMB is very active without the ball, but also seems to move with a real sense of purpose. He cuts, sets on ball and off ball screens screens, moves to soft spots in the defense (especially the free throw line) and reads matchups well when the defense is off balance, pinning and sealing smaller defenders down in the paint or pulling bigger ones to the perimeter to drive.

CMB is a willing and effective screener who uses his frame well to free up teammates.  He’s a big body who plays with a methodical pace. He sets screens all over, both off ball and running the P&R and Pick & Pop. He’s savvy and manipulative in the flow of the offense. He will set a hard screen on one possession and then slip the screen on the next.  Or initiate a DHO for his guard on one play and then set up for another DHO, but immediately catch the pass and spin hard to the hoop for a score. So much fun watching him play and watching the chess match unfold. His ability to read and react in real-time adds value even without a pure go-to move.

He plays with a slow-motion style that’s pretty effective. CMB has solid handles and is able to change his pace well and execute a number of good dribble moves including cross overs, spin moves, and hang dribbles. He’s not yet super advanced or stringing them together, but very smooth and can go from getting a pass or grabbing an offensive rebound to immediately getting into a move.

When CMB does get into the key used his body well, utilizing his strength and touch allow him to bump defenders to create space and his frame and strength to create angles to hold them at bay and score with strong touch.  Has perfected the art of driving into the body of a defender to open a sliver of space, leaning back, and quickly flipping the ball in with impeccable touch. He is built like a truck and plays very strong. CMB is able to absorb contact and still finish inside. Also able to pump defenders and use a little bit of space to get a shot up. Has extremely good touch and while not an explosive athlete in traffic he has decent horizontal hangtime (i.e., doesn’t jump high and hang, but can take off and almost hover off the ground while covering space) and has solid fluidity.

However, he does struggle against length, especially when defenders are set. He can get blocked or altered at the rim when he can’t create a clean angle. He also shows the ball too much at times on drives, leaving him susceptible to help-side blocks. While he can elevate and finish when he has momentum, if he is forced to stop in traffic or gets a rebound under the hoop, he doesn’t have the vertical pop or reach to score over length consistently.

This is also true when he posts up inside.  He can certainly take advantage of smaller players or switches; however, when forced to post up another big man, he has the strength to hold his position, but isn;t an advanced post player and his physical limitation hinder his ability here.  So no, he probably won’t be posting up even Kai Jones or Nick Richards on any regular basis.

He’s not a three-level scorer, but he plays with intelligence and awareness that make him a constant threat. He’s a willing shooter with decent form, though his release is slow and doesn’t hold up under pressure. When rushed, his follow-through suffers and his accuracy drops significantly. And his three-point misses can be rough (had multiple airballs).  Additionally, he shows no ability to shoot off the move or dribble.  The good news is his midrange game is promising, particularly off the catch or jab step.  While he may never be an elite shooter, there’s a good chance his range extends out to the three point line over time.

As a rebounder, he uses anticipation, strength, and long arms to clean up the glass despite not having elite height. He’s aggressive and unafraid to use his body or throw elbows and is a strong grab-and-go threat after defensive boards. He’s also an excellent offensive rebounder who finishes well on second chance opportunities.

CMB is also a very impressive passer, which is a major strength. He can hit all types of passes; entry feeds, skip passes, live-dribble looks, and short roll reads. He’s especially dangerous when the defense is off balance or doubling. He sees the floor well, reacts quickly, and can redirect the offense from the high post. He’s vocal and actively guides teammates and shows strong anticipatory passing catching passes and quickly rerouting the ball to the open man.  He can also do these from virtually any role his team needs, including running the offense from up top or the high post, leading the break, or while driving or posting up.

CMB took decent care of the ball, but still has issues with turnovers come primarily from his ball-handling. He can get stripped by digs or lose the ball off his own knee or foot. While I don’t expect him to be a primary creator at the next level, it’s a limitation that keeps him needing to mimic more of a Draymond archetype than someone like Scottie Barnes. His value doesn’t hinge on high-usage creation, but tightening his handle would boost his ceiling.

Defense

Murray-Boyles is a high-motor, versatile defender who dives for loose balls and gives 100% effort.

CMB has good lateral speed and a strong ability to change direction making him a truly switchable defender able to guard both levels, guarding big men and then switching onto the perimeter to say with quicker guards and wings reasonably well.  CMB is a confident defender, who plays up close on most guards and wings. He gets down in a stance and is very focused. While he is not the quickest or springiest player, CMB is very efficient in movements and takes very good angles. Has also has the strength, broad shoulders, thicker build to help aid him in contain wing players and prevent them from turning the corner on him easily, which is part of why he can crowd them on the perimeter.

CMB communicates constantly and rotates well, often guarding multiple positions on a single possession. That makes him a strong pick-and-roll defender who can hedge, drop, trap, or switch and make life very hard on opposing offenses.  On a single play you can see him guard the wing, tag a roller, and then run crosscourt to contest a shooter.  He’s not afraid to use his body either. He steps in and takes charges and tries to bump and annoy players without drawing fouls.

My main critique of his rotations, is that while he’s great at most aspects, he’s not the quickest getting out to the perimeter and seems to struggle to jump quickly when running out. Often just keeps his balance on the close out and sticks an arm out. At times, he doesn’t even put his hand up which was odd given his level of effort on other plays (to be fair, sometimes it’s because the shooter is a bad shooter, but this also happened at times on good shooters).

His strength and wingspan let him contest shots inside and deter drives. While he’s not a classic rim protector, CMB is definitely a weapon who can use his timing, strength, and length to block shots both on his man and helping inside. Had some on shooters as well. Can definitely create traffic and congestion in the lane making life tough on players driving inside. He’s also a savvy and physical enough player that he can alter shots and force players to change angles even if he can’t block the shot.

CMB generally can defend in the post effectively, holding ground against most matchups, though bigger players with a lower center of gravity can move him back, so he will need to keep developing and improve his strength over his first couple of seasons like Draymond did (and Sochan is doing now). Still, he has real functional strength to bang inside and long (though not absurdly long) arms that help him contest.  He’s pretty good if he can keep opposing players away from the rim or get an angle to get the ball, but when a real big catches the ball deep, CMB’s limitations show.  Especially if he’s at a standstill, he just doesn’t have the quick jumping or bounce to get up and contest.

CMB also generates a lot of turnovers, using his elite anticipation along with his long arms, quick hands, and strength to disrupt opposing offenses in multiple ways; including jumping passing lanes, executing digs, breaking up P&Rs, and picking off lazy passes. Once he gets the ball, he’s an immediate transition threat.