TORONTO – R.J. Barrett and Brandon Ingram provided much of the offense for the Toronto Raptors in their third win of the young season, but it was rookie Collin Murray-Boyles who received much of the praise after the game.
In just his fifth NBA game, the 20-year-old University of South Carolina product continued to impress as the Raptors won back-to-back games for the first time this season with a 117-104 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.
Murray-Boyles scored 15 points, grabbed nine rebounds and helped his teammates score five baskets in front of 16,746 fans at Scotiabank Arena.
“I don’t think he’s playing like a rookie right now,” said Barrett, who scored a game-high 27 points. “He's playing really well. He's had some big moments, especially in these first two games.”
“I remember when I was a rookie; it was hard to understand. But he played physical. He's not afraid, he does the right things. I mean, he plays great.”
Murray-Boyles was selected ninth overall in the 2025 NBA Draft. His play early in the season earned him the trust of his new teammates and the Raptors coaching staff.
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“He's a very talented basketball player,” Toronto head coach Darko Rajakovic said. “He has such a good sense of playing (with his) space. He's really good in his role with his pick-and-rolls. He had one dunk tonight that Brandon Ingram threw to him. He just does a good job of being in the right place and he competes at a really, really high level.
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“I don't think people talk enough about how good of a passer he is. But he also adapts to the speed of the game. You saw in one of his transitions he just threw the ball away. But that's all part of the learning curve. So I think he's doing a really good job.”
Murray-Boyles credits his work over the summer for being able to step in and contribute right away.
He played for the Raptors in the NBA summer league, then trained with the other Raptors before training camp and a crash course in preseason games.
“You have everything you need to accommodate,” he said. “If I make a mistake, I just try to learn from it.”
Barrett's hot start also has a lot to do with his work over the summer. Rajakovic said Barrett spent long hours at the Raptors' practice facility working on his jumper.
But he also believes not having to play for Canada internationally over the summer helped him rest.
“I can feel the difference already this season,” Barrett said. “And also I just feel a lot better going into the season, feel more fresh. Having more energy in these games, it's definitely a different thing coming in and having the whole summer versus playing through the summer. I'm excited about it.”
Barrett added that he is no longer the opponent's only focus when Ingram is on the scene.
“When (Ingram) came in, it made it a lot easier for me to shoot,” Barrett said. “There's another threat that the team has to worry about. So I think we're doing a good job, you know, everybody sharing the ball, being in the flow.”
“And we kind of share everything, to be honest.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 2, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
