Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic, centre, sees plenty of room for growth from his franchise player, Scottie Barnes (left) and rookie big man Collin Murray-Boyles (right).Nikki Boertman/The Associated Press
Fresh off his rookie campaign, Collin Murray-Boyles is preparing for what’s next.
“I’m just trying to get as good as possible for next [year],” he said.
Murray-Boyles set Raptors records during Toronto’s seven-game series against Cleveland. He became the first Toronto freshman to notch over 20 points in a single postseason contest and score double-digit points in four straight playoff games.
Murray-Boyles, alongside Raptors’ 2024 first-round pick Ja’Kobe Walter and 23-year-old Jamal Shead, all averaged over 27 minutes against the Cavaliers. Murray-Boyles and Walter averaged 14.4 and 11.1 points, respectively. Shead, a defensive-minded guard, averaged an even nine.
Now, the trio has the summer to continue growing.
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“I feel like having five months to get better and just work, that’s going to be a lot of time for me to work on a lot of things that me and the coach have talked about,” Murray-Boyles said. “I know what we’re trying to achieve.”
Along with soaking in the Toronto summer sun, Murray-Boyles will nurse a thumb injury he sustained during the regular season.
“It’s been feeling good this past month,” Murray-Boyles said. “But I want to see what the plan is – talk to trainers, talk to some hand specialists – and see what the next step is.”
The rookie said he’s praying he doesn’t need surgery.
Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic met with media on Tuesday to discuss his team's first-round playoff loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers and what the off-season will look like for him and his players.Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press
Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic said it must be a “step-by-step” approach to developing Murray-Boyles this summer.
“He needs to get stronger and faster so he can sustain long seasons,” Rajakovic said, adding that while Murray-Boyles will work on his shooting, he’s not placing pressure on that aspect of his development. He averaged less than one triple attempted per game during the regular season, shooting at a 34 per cent clip from range.
Shead sat second in steals (1.4) and assists (5.0) among the Raptors in the playoffs. This off-season, he plans to work on his finishing and three-point shooting – Rajakovic said he needs to “figure out” his scoring in the paint and hone his playmaking ability.
“We should only try to learn from it,” Shead said about his postseason experience. “Maybe I’m not playing 30 to 40 minutes again next year, but how can I maximize it? How can I have that same impact that I have, especially on the defensive end?”
Walter made a name for himself in both Toronto and Cleveland. He scored 20-plus points in Games 5 and 6.
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“Mentality-wise, I think I fit the playoffs pretty well,” Walter said. “But the physicality, you can feel the difference between regular season and playoffs.”
Walter regularly handled defensive assignments of James Harden and Donovan Mitchell. This off-season, he plans to get stronger. That means eating right and lifting accordingly.
“It’s the NBA,” Walter said. “With grown men, doing the same thing I just said I needed to do, it’s going to take a lot of attention.”
Rajakovic agreed, saying that Walter needs to become stronger to play through NBA contact and double down on developing his three-point shooting, which impressed the coach. During the regular season, the second-year guard shot nearly 50 per cent from three post all-star break.
Toronto Raptors guard Ja'Kobe Walter said he learned about the physicality of the playoffs through the team's seven-game series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.Ken Blaze/Reuters
“They are hungry and excited about what’s next,” Rajakovic said.
Last summer, Walter, 21, foresaw the type of impact he, Shead and Murray-Boyles would make this early in their respective careers.
“During summer league, we all felt different on that court,” Walter said. “We felt like we were more advanced than others, just the way we were playing and the intensity that we played with, so I definitely envisioned this.”
Beyond the trio, Shead said one thing he learned during the playoffs was what Scottie Barnes is capable of.
Rajakovic, who said in April that Barnes is only 60 per cent the player he could be, dropped that number to 58 on Tuesday.
“I just realized there’s more room for growth,” he said.
As for the coach, Rajakovic plans to spend the summer learning how to improve his leadership.
“I have a mental performance coach that I’m working with,” said Rajakovic. “He’s helping myself individually, but also in the preparation of what kind of leader I need to be with the team.
“So that’s one thing I’m going to really focus on.”