Former South Carolina standout, Collin Murray-Boyles has been selected to the NBA Rising Stars Game. After being selected 9th by the Toronto Raptors, he became the first Gamecock player ever to be in the challenge, which is a part of the NBA All-Star Weekend activities.
The NBA Rising Stars game showcases talented rookie and sophomore players in the NBA, with an additional seven spots given to G-League players. This game highlights the young talent in the league with a chance to shine in front of the whole country.
In his first season at the NBA level, Murray-Boyles is making an immediate impact with the Toronto Raptors. The fourth-seeded team in the Eastern Conference has been one of the most improved squads, as its 30-21 record in 2026 has already matched its win total of 30-52 from last season.
Murray-Boyles started the season coming of the bench, but after starting center Jakob Poeltl went down with a back injury, he stepped into the starting center role. Standing at 6 feet 7 inches, he is considerably undersized compared to the average NBA big man, but his athleticism and tenacity in the paint make up for his size.
From the point Murray-Boyles was thrust into the starting lineup he has been performing at a high level, averaging 7.7 points and 2.1 assists and shooting 53.4% from the field. Defensively, Murray-Boyles has recorded an average of 2.6 rebounds, 0.8 blocks, and 0.9 steals per game.
Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajaković spoke very highly of certain aspects of Murray-Boyles' game.
“Energy, defense, disruptive, rebounding, playmaking, he has been doing a really good job,” Rajaković said.
Boyles has been an anchor for the Raptors on the defensive side of the ball; he has the quickness and agility to effectively guard smaller defenders on mismatches, but also has a long wingspan and the strength to be able to lock down centers.
“He is not afraid of anything or anybody, he’s just pure force,” Rajaković said.
To go along with his ability to guard every position, Murray-Boyles has strong defensive instincts and a knack for clogging up pass lanes. This skill set allows Murray-Boyles to potentially become a special defensive player.
“Collin is a high-level competitor." Rajaković said "Collin is somebody who has unbelievable defensive instincts, from positioning, from using his hands, being disruptive, and he is as strong as it gets.”.
Just like his days in the garnet and black, Murray-Boyles has been a problem for defenders, with the unique ability to pass, drive and shoot.
“Whatever to make my teammates be successful, that’s what I’m about, regardless if that's scoring, rebounding, getting an extra shot up for them ... Whatever Darko needs me to do, I'm going to do it,” Murray-Boyles said.
At South Carolina, Murray-Boyles' only weakness was his jump shot, only shooting 26.5% from 3-point range in the 2024-25 season.Now just a year later in his rookie season, Murray-Boyles has improved to shooting 34.1% from long distance, knocking down 3-pointers consistently.
“That's something I always want to work on as much as possible, coach Ivo (Simović) been doing a good job developing me, just making my habits more reliable and more controlled,” Murray-Boyles said.
Murray-Boyles showed flashes of his playmaking ability at South Carolina, but in his first year with the Raptors, he has prioritized getting his teammates open shots. With his elite vision, Murray-Boyles complements the young trio of Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett and Scottie Barnes.
“From high school to now, I’ve been a pretty high-IQ player, obviously try to make the best reads as possible," Murray-Boyles said. "If that's making the right pass to my teammates, and always have trust in them to make a shot”.
In his first year, Murray-Boyles has earned a roster spot on Team Melo for the 2026 Rising Stars game, and is already playing with the maturity and decisiveness of a veteran player, while also having the athleticism, energy and tenacity of a young player.
What's next?
Murray-Boyles and the Toronto Raptors will play the Minnesota Timberwolves in Toronto, Canada, Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
Murray-Boyles will star alongside Cooper Flagg and Reed Sheppard for Team Melo in the 2026 Rising Stars game on Feb. 13 at 9 p.m. The game will be streaming on Peacock and NBC.