Offense Post Scoring & Interior Play CMB is a bulldozer with ballet shoes. He does most of his damage inside, where he’s a wrecking ball with touch. His blend of footwork, strength, and soft hands make him lethal from the post where he ranks in the 83rd percentile nationally in post-up efficiency. He seals deep, finishes through contact, and uses a soft touch on hooks and floaters. South Carolina structured their offense to give him room to operate inside, and he thrived as the hub of their half-court offense. But he’s not just a brute. He has nuance in his game, as he varies speed on drives, uses upfakes and spin moves, and can contort his body for tough finishes. He’s shown glimpses of creating offense off the catch, attacking slower bigs and weaker forwards off the dribble in isolation or from face-ups. His handle is functional, not advanced, but effective, especially paired with his physicality and craft. Passing & Decision-Making Murray-Boyles is one of the best passing bigs in this class. His assist numbers (2.4 APG) understate his actual passing impact as South Carolina severely lacked talent and missed plenty of clean looks he created. He sees the floor well from the post, elbows, and short roll. He hits cutters in stride, executes skip passes, and knows how to manipulate defenders with his eyes. His 1-to-1 AST:TO ratio is a product of heavy offensive responsibility and usage, not poor decision-making. His reads are quick and accurate, especially when operating out of delay sets, dribble handoffs, and mid-post actions. Short Roll Playmaking This is where he projects most cleanly in the NBA. Pair him with a dynamic guard and let him operate out of 4-on-3 scenarios. He has great spatial awareness and the ability to make one-handed passes off movement. His strength helps him absorb contact and finish or deliver the ball under pressure, and he consistently makes the right read when the defense rotates. Rebounding & Second-Chance Opportunities CMB is a tenacious rebounder. With an 8.3 RPG and an 18.2 REB%, he proactively wins positioning, boxes out with leverage, and uses his strength and long arms to dominate the glass. He’s relentless on the offensive boards, giving his team valuable second chances and easy putbacks. He’s the kind of rebounder that creates additional possessions simply through will and timing. Shooting Concerns & Context This is the swing skill. He’s currently 9-of-39 from deep across two seasons. His free throw shooting is hovering around 70%: respectable but not indicative of a natural shooter. The shot is a push from the chest, and while the mechanics aren’t broken, they’re slow and unrefined. Spot-up shooting, in particular, is an area of concern, where he shot just 12.5% on those looks. But there are some encouraging signs: he’s increased his 3PA volume, shown touch on floaters/hooks, and even hit 42.9% on threes when used as a screener. The three-ball doesn’t need to be automatic. If he can become a 33% catch-and-shoot guy take numerous attempts, enough to keep defenders honest, it further unlocks his short-roll game and offensive versatility. That’s the path from valuable to matchup nightmare. Role Projection on Offense In the NBA, CMB projects as a connective big who thrives in actions rather than as a primary option. Expect him to be used heavily in DHO sets, short roll opportunities, and off-ball cuts. He’ll score through craft, strength, and smart reads, not isolation-heavy possessions. He can provide value even without shooting, think high-efficiency post touches, secondary playmaking, offensive rebounds, and intelligent cutting. But if the jumper develops, he becomes a legitimate offensive weapon. Defense Switchability & Versatility This is where Murray-Boyles separates himself. He is one of the smartest, most disruptive defenders in the class. He combines strong fundamentals, elite hand speed, and excellent lateral movement for his size. He’s comfortable guarding 1 through 4 and even survives against some 5s. Whether he’s hedging, switching, recovering, or dropping, he knows how to execute coverages. He’s comfortable in space, rarely gets beat clean, and uses his body and hands to reroute ball-handlers without fouling. Help Defense & Playmaking His off-ball awareness is elite. He rotates early, tags rollers, digs at the nail, and baits passes into deflections. His instincts allow him to blow up actions before they develop. He posted 2.9 STL% and 4.7 BLK%: that’s absurd for a player his size. Importantly, he does this while maintaining low foul rates and shouldering a heavy offensive load. As a help defender, he’s a game-changer. Rim Protection He’s not a traditional rim protector, but he can still anchor stretches defensively. He contests without fouling, challenges shots with verticality, and blocks more attempts than you’d expect given his height. His wingspan and timing allow him to alter shots at the rim and even protect the paint in switches or mismatches. Rebounding His rebounding translates to defense too. His 26.5% DREB% would be good even by NBA standards, tying him with players like Nic Claxton. He doesn’t just box out; he aggressively pursues the ball and wins battles through quick reaction time and lower body strength. Role Projection on Defense He’s a defensive Swiss Army knife. He can be your point-of-attack big, your switchable 4, or even the guy who guards the opposing 5 to free up your rim protector as a rover. Think the role Al Horford or Grant Williams has played, versatile stoppers who enable creative, modern defensive schemes. Concerns & Why I’m Not Worried Yes, he’s undersized for a traditional big. No, he’s not a floor spacer right now. And for many evaluators, that’s an automatic red flag: an NBA big who isn’t seven feet tall and can’t shoot threes? It’s easy to assume there’s no place for him. But that line of thinking misses what actually makes Collin Murray-Boyles so valuable. For one, his offensive value doesn’t hinge on stretching the floor. He isn’t someone who has to camp in the dunker’s spot waiting for someone else to make the play. He initiates actions. He can handle the ball in space, drive off the catch or in face-ups, and act as a decision-maker in the short roll. He scores efficiently by getting to spots, not by needing spacing handed to him. And even in a clogged floor, he finds angles, uses craft and physicality, and keeps the offense moving through sharp passing and reads. He manipulates defenses not with gravity as a shooter, but gravity as a connector and driver. That’s valuable. He opens space not by pulling defenders out, but by collapsing them in and making the right decision once they do. And that, to me, is more translatable than betting on a stretch big who might hit 33% of his threes in the corner someday. The fact that he can already thrive in an offense without needing to be spoon-fed paint touches or wide-open jumpers is a testament to how developed his game already is. As for his size, he’s listed at 6 '6.5", but his length, strength, and exceptional mobility more than compensate. He doesn’t need to be a conventional 5. He can guard up or down, play as the roaming 4, switch onto guards, and survive against most bigs through leverage, timing, and anticipation. He’s not a rim protector in the mold of a vertical shot blocker, but he deters shots all the same by blowing up actions before they develop. Ultimately, the concerns about shooting and tweener size matter less when a player can make an impact across every phase of the game like Murray-Boyles can. He isn’t boxed in by his limitations; he expands past them with IQ, touch, physicality, and feel. Final Thoughts At No. 3 on my board, I view Collin Murray-Boyles as a foundational piece with star-adjacent upside. He’s a defensive architect with the instincts of Paul Milsap, the strength and bruising drive game of Julius Randle, and a real chance to become a modern hybrid big who shapes winning basketball on both ends. Put him next to a stretch five or a mobile rim protector and watch the system work. Yes, he’s unconventional. But sometimes, the best players are.