South Carolina men's basketball sophomore forward Collin Murray-Boyles has declared for the NBA draft he told ESPN on April 15.
Murray-Boyles spent two years playing for the Gamecocks. As a freshman, he averaged 10.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game during the 2023-24 season.
The following year, Murray-Boyles increased his averages in his sophomore campaign to a team-high 16.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.
During his time as a Gamecock, Murray-Boyles was named to the second team All-SEC by both the AP and coaches poll for the 2024-25 season and was named to the SEC All-Freshman team in the 2023-24 season.
Strengths
Murray-Boyles shone on the defensive side of the basketball during his time with South Carolina. In his sophomore season, he averaged 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks a game and posted the highest defensive rating on the team with a 100.4 rating, which ranked 15th overall in the SEC.
According to Yahoo Sports, Murray-Boyles is "one of the best defenders to enter the draft in recent years." They also note his 7-foot wingspan, hand-eye coordination and high defensive IQ as attributes that allow him to thrive as a defender.
Earlier in the season, when the Gamecocks took on the eventual national champion Florida Gators, Murray-Boyles had a strong defensive showing. He finished the game with three blocks and helped hold Gator starters, sophomore forward Alex Condon and sophomore center Rueben Chinyelu, to just 7 points total.
Murray-Boyles is also an effective interior scorer. Last season, he posted a 58.8 field goal percentage last season which ranked 1st in the SEC and a 62.2 field goal percentage on 2-point shot attempts. His soft touch on hook shots and layups combined with his strength that allows him to muscle through defenders makes him a threat for scoring on the inside.
When the Gamecocks took on the Arkansas Razorbacks earlier in the season, Murray-Boyles posted his career high point total of 35 points and shot 75% from the field in a winning effort.
Murray-Boyles has also showed to be a more than capable playmaker and initiator on offense this season, averaging 2.4 assists per game which ranked second on the team. He had five or more assists four times this year which included a season high eight assists for the team, in that same game against the Gators where he had three blocks.
Weaknesses
Although Murray-Boyles shot very efficiently from the field this last season, he hasn't shot well from long range on the court in his two years at South Carolina. This past season, he posted a 26.5% 3-point percentage from the field last season.
With NBA teams shooting 42.2% of their shots from behind the arc and the average shooting percentage in the NBA being 36%, the lack of a 3-point shot can clog things up for an offense and make it harder to score.
Murray-Boyles will have to improve his 3-point shot at the next level to keep up with the outside shooting trend the NBA is going towards.
While Murray-Boyles was a productive defender in college and projects to be a good one in the NBA, his height is listed at 6-feet-7-inches which is below the league average height for a power forward which is about 6-feet-8-inches.
This could mean that a lot of teams may have the positional size advantage on Murray-Boyles which could make things tougher for him on both sides of the ball.
NBA fits and draft outlook
Murray-Boyles is a projected first round pick in several mock drafts from the likes of Bleacher Report, Yahoo Sports and Sports Illustrated. Bleacher Report and Sports Illustrated has Murray-Boyles going late in the lottery and Yahoo Sports has him going top 5 in the upcoming draft.
There are several teams that need help at the forward position and could use help on the defensive side of the ball including the Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets and San Antonio Spurs. All three of those teams finished bottom 10 in the league in defensive rating last season.
If Murray-Boyles were to be drafted by the Hornets, he would stay close to home as he's a native of Columbia, South Carolina. The Hornets currently have former No. 2 overall pick Brandon Miller at the forward spot but lack depth at the position. Murray-Boyles could also come in and help their offense as the Hornets ranked last in the league in points per game last season.
Another intriging fit for Murray-Boyles would be the San Antonio Spurs. If he's drafted by them, he would be paired with All-Star Center Victor Wembanyama. Wembanyama is a big that can shoot the three, with him shooting 35.2% from three this past season on 8.8 attempts per game.
This means that if Murray-Boyles were playing alongside Wembanyama, a big man who can shoot, this could help hide his lack of an outside jump shot. We saw Murray-Boyles paired with a shooting big in college when he played alongside BJ Mack during his freshman season when the Gamecocks made the NCAA tournament. Mack shot 34.6% from three on 3.4 attempts per game during his college career.
Bleacher Report compares Murray-Boyles to Julius Randle who's a three time all-star and has averaged 18.9 points as a key contributor for the Minnesota Timberwolves this season. Randle, like Murray-Boyles, struggled to shoot the three-ball efficiently in college but has improved from a 16.7% 3-point percentage in college to shooting 33.4% in the NBA.
The Ringer compares Murray-Boyles to Draymond Green who's a four time all-star, eight time all-defensive team member and a four-time NBA champion and a part of the Golden State Warriors dynasty. Green is also undersized for the power forward position with him listed at 6-feet-6-inches.
What's next?
The 2025 NBA Draft will begin on Wednesday, June 25, at 8 p.m. EST and will be broadcast on ESPN. The NBA Draft is set to be hosted at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.