NBA Draft: Collin Murray-Boyles Showcases New Skill

The South Carolina forward showed off a new aspect of his game Thursday.

Nov 21, 2024; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks forward Collin Murray-Boyles (30) is fouled by Mercer Bears forward Alex Holt (6) in the first half at Colonial Life Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images / Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

Collin Murray-Boyles offers one of the more unique prospects in the entire 2025 NBA Draft cycle.

At 6-foot-7, he plays with a near-traditional skillset, primarily functioning as an interior scoring force that can pad the stat sheet in a variety of different ways. Through just five games, he’s already proved that to be true with 16.3 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.0 block and nearly one steal per game.

The one statistical category that’s alluded him so far has been his 3-piont shooting, which has been fairly non-existent so far in his year-and-some-change career with the Gamecocks. But it seems things could be turning around.

In Thursday night’s double-digit smackdown of Mercer, Murray-Boyles shot two-for-two from beyond the arc, adding to his total of 16 points on 6-for-7 shooting. He also tacked on nine rebounds, dished two assists and nabbed two steals.

Prior to his pair of attempts versus Mercer, Murray-Boyles had attempted just one all year: an errant shot against Indiana in the game before. Across 28 games as a freshman, he shot just five from range all year, missing on each.

A 3-point shot would do wonders for Murray-Boyles’ game. In addition to simply adding offense further from the basket, defenders respecting his outside shot would allow his inside game and dribble-drive game to flourish even more.

The sophomore is already a bona fide lottery selection as is in the 2025 NBA Draft. But a surge of 3-point shooting would push him into a new stratosphere.

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