South Carolina Professional Athletes

Collin Murray-Boyles Is Building Something Real in Toronto

The Gamecocks have a legitimate NBA franchise cornerstone in the making — and the league is starting to notice.

Collin Murray-Boyles, the South Carolina product entering just his second NBA season, has become one of the more compelling stories of the 2026-27 preseason. The Toronto Raptors power forward isn't merely filling a rotation spot; according to Sports Illustrated, he's positioned to complete a "Big 3" alongside Scottie Barnes and newly acquired Kawhi Leonard — a player who has seen a thing or two about winning basketball.

Leonard himself made that point explicit. The future Hall of Famer publicly highlighted a trait he values in both Barnes and Murray-Boyles, a notable endorsement from a player who spent years as the most decorated two-way force in the game. When Kawhi Leonard calls out a 20-something forward by name in preseason, that's not filler — that's a stamp.

Murray-Boyles is leaning into the moment. Speaking to reporters, the former Gamecock said the Raptors' defense — already a top-five unit in the Eastern Conference last season while the team went 46-36 and pushed past Cleveland in the first round — could become a "nightmare for any other team" with Leonard in the fold. That's the kind of buy-in that coaches dream about hearing from young cornerstone players.

On the court, the preseason tape has backed up the rhetoric. Murray-Boyles posted 19 points in Toronto's lopsided 148-98 demolition of the New York Knicks, alongside Leonard's team-high 21 points on the night. Highlight plays punctuated the performance: a one-handed slam blowing past James Wiseman, and a vicious putback dunk over multiple Knicks defenders — the hard-nosed, physical brand of play that has defined his game since his days in Columbia.

---

The Rest of the Gamecock Roster

Murray-Boyles isn't the only South Carolina alum active in the league this week. A.J. Lawson is also on the Raptors' roster at shooting guard, giving Toronto a second Gamecock connection as the franchise pushes toward legitimate contention. G.G. Jackson enters his third season with the Memphis Grizzlies at power forward, while PJ Dozier is with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Justin Minaya is with the Portland Trail Blazers.

---

The broader picture for Gamecock fans is this: South Carolina's NBA footprint is modest in size but punching up in profile. Murray-Boyles, specifically, is the kind of player who reshapes a program's recruiting narrative — a second-year forward already being discussed as a franchise pillar for a team that finished fifth in the East and is now adding a top-ten all-time two-way player. The leap from preseason buzz to regular-season proof starts this week, but the scaffolding is already in place.

Collin Murray-Boyles arrived at Toronto Raptors training camp this week with something most second-year players don't get: a masterclass from Kawhi Leonard.

The former South Carolina forward — one of five Gamecocks currently on NBA rosters — met with media on the first day of camp and made clear he's treating Year 2 as a serious step forward. The agenda: refine his jump shot, sharpen his game, and pick the brain of one of the most accomplished two-way players in modern NBA history. Murray-Boyles said conversations with Leonard have been formative, and given the parallels in their defensive profiles, the mentorship tracks.

That defensive ceiling is the reason analysts are paying attention. NBA analyst Joseph Casciaro, appearing on The JD Bunkis Podcast, broke down why Murray-Boyles' defensive potential is effectively uncapped — a striking claim for a player still in the early chapters of his professional career. The Raptors have been deliberate in building around length and versatility on that end of the floor, and Murray-Boyles fits the mold. His combination of instincts, athleticism, and positional IQ gives Toronto's coaching staff real options in how they deploy him.

The jump shot development is the subplot that could make him a genuine two-way threat rather than a defensive specialist. If Murray-Boyles forces defenses to respect him offensively, the defensive assignments he draws — and the havoc he can cause — multiply significantly. That's the version of him the Raptors are clearly developing toward.

No other South Carolina alumni generated significant news during this stretch. PJ Dozier (Timberwolves), G.G. Jackson (Grizzlies), Justin Minaya (Trail Blazers), and A.J. Lawson — Murray-Boyles' teammate in Toronto — are all on rosters as the league moves into preseason territory, but the spotlight this week belongs firmly to the Gamecock in Canada.

For South Carolina fans, Murray-Boyles' trajectory is the story to track all season. The Raptors are in a rebuilding window, which means real minutes and real stakes — the exact environment where a player either proves the hype right or gets exposed. Early indications suggest he intends to do the former.

The most intriguing South Carolina alum in the NBA right now isn't a household name yet — but Collin Murray-Boyles is making a strong case to become one in Toronto.

Heading into his sophomore season with the Raptors, the former Gamecock forward is drawing serious organizational attention as a potential long-term cornerstone. Murray-Boyles carved out a legitimate role in his rookie campaign, and the numbers backing his breakout are drawing notice beyond just Raptors beat reporters. Sports Illustrated flagged two specific statistical markers from his debut season as reasons for genuine optimism — a notable signal that the league is taking stock of what he can do.

The bigger question entering 2026–27 is whether Murray-Boyles can anchor Toronto's frontcourt over the long haul. Yahoo Sports framed it directly: can he become the Raptors' long-term center? That's a weighty ask for a player entering just his second NBA season, but the framing itself speaks to how quickly he's earned organizational trust. The Raptors are in a deliberate rebuild, and cornerstone candidates don't emerge from those rosters by accident.

At South Carolina, Murray-Boyles was known for his defensive instincts and motor — traits that tend to translate faster than pure offensive skill at the NBA level. If his rookie season validated that projection, the next step is proving he can carry expanded responsibilities on both ends as Toronto's young core grows around him.

The Rest of the Gamecocks

Murray-Boyles isn't the only South Carolina alum earning a paycheck in the NBA this fall. Teammate A.J. Lawson is also on the Raptors roster, giving the Gamecocks a two-man contingent in Toronto. Lawson, a shooting guard, adds perimeter depth to a squad that will lean heavily on its youth.

Elsewhere, G.G. Jackson continues to develop with the Memphis Grizzlies at power forward — another former Gamecock on a rebuilding team with room to grow into a featured role. PJ Dozier is with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Justin Minaya rounds out the group with the Portland Trail Blazers.

But the story this week belongs to Murray-Boyles. Five South Carolina alumni are scattered across NBA rosters, and none is generating the kind of franchise-centerpiece conversation that the 21-year-old in Toronto is right now. For Gamecocks fans, the preseason narrative is simple: watch No. 5 in the North. The arrow is pointing up.