Outside of Cooper Flagg, Collin Murray-Boyles is the safest pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
When NBA front offices are looking into potential selections of players such as Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey or VJ Edgecombe, they’re banking on them becoming stars because of their ability to score. If this caliber of player fails to translate their offensive dominance to the pro level, they’ll likely end up being a bust.
That worry does not exist with Murray-Boyles.
Murray-Boyles is like an aggressive pitbull on the defensive side of the ball. But, instead of this pitbull having a steak waved in front of his face, he’s having a basketball being passed around him. Murray-Boyles will make sure that basketball comes back with him and his team instead of going into the basket.
Murray-Boyles averaged 2.8 stocks during his sophomore campaign at South Carolina. While the Gamecocks may have been the worst team in the SEC last season, it is scary to think about what they would have been without him.
The six-foot-seven forward is muscular with a 239-pound frame. Yet his impressive physique may not showcase his biggest muscle, which is his brain. Murray-Boyles is smart on both sides of the floor, as his decision-making for shots and passes proves he can contribute on both sides of the court.
The biggest worry for Murray-Boyles is his jump shot. Despite shooting 58.6% from the field, he shot 26.5% from beyond the arc.
So, where is the best fit for a high-IQ, defensive hawk with a seven-foot-one wingspan and eight-foot-ten standing reach?
That fit is the San Antonio Spurs.
The Spurs have an opportunity to jump up to the caliber of the Oklahoma City Thunder this offseason. The Thunder are currently the gold standard of professional basketball. Thankfully for the Spurs, they have a roster construction quite similar to the Thunder.
Both squads have lengthy centers who can stretch the floor offensively while still being an intimidating threat to land a nasty block on defense. Both squads have crafty guards who can score from the midrange and lead the offense. While the Thunder have the better young core, the Spurs are almost just as good. With the Spurs having picks 2 and 14, they could potentially leapfrog that Thunder core.
What separates the Thunder from the rest of the NBA is how many elite defenders they have. While the Spurs have arguably the best defensive threat in the NBA with Victor Wembanyama, they are nowhere near as close to an elite defensive team as the Thunder.
Selecting Murray-Boyles could completely change that narrative.
Wembanyama and Murray-Boyles defending the perimeter and the paint would simply be unfair. While I believe the Spurs have the coaching ability to make Murray-Boyles a respectable shooter, I know they have the assets to bring in shooters to pair alongside Murray-Boyles.
Pick two could be considered a reach for Murray-Boyles, and pick 14 may be too late to select him. However, you need a plethora of defensive studs if you want to win a championship in the NBA. That championship ceiling is open for the Spurs. If they want to take advantage of this opportunity, they must find a way to select Murray-Boyles.