Each day until the 2025 NBA Draft, Pippen Ain't Easy will profile one prospect who makes sense as a fit for the Bulls in either the first or second round. These players could fill a need, such as on-ball defense or rim protection, or could fit an archetype that Chicago lacks on its current roster, like an athletic big man or 3-and-D wing.
Not many, if any, prospects are like South Carolina forward Collin Murray-Boyles. The former Gamecock spent two seasons in Columbia, only turning 20 years old two weeks ago. Despite playing collegiately for two seasons, he's younger than Derik Queen and nearly the same age as V.J. Edgecombe and Kon Knueppel.
Furthermore, his physical profile is unlike most prospects. He measured 6 feet 6 and a half, with a nearly 7-foot-1 wingspan. Of players who measured 6-foot-7 or shorter, Murray-Boyles is one of two players to weigh 230 or more pounds. The 20-year-old came in at 239 pounds, six pounds less than his posted weight on the Gamecocks' website.
Collin Murray-Boyles' scouting report
Murray-Boyles' physical profile isn't the only thing that makes him unique. He's only a decent athlete and almost a non-shooter, yet he's a projected lottery pick. Nevertheless, he was highly productive in two seasons at South Carolina and offers a tantalizing defensive repertoire for a 20-year-old.
Offense
Murray Boyles averaged 10.4 points per game as a freshman and 16.8 as a sophomore. He finished his collegiate career converting 59.0 percent of his field goals, 23.1 percent of his three-pointers, and 69.5 percent of his free throws.
Although he's the height of a small forward, Murray-Boyles is unquestionably a power forward who can play the five in a pinch. The 6-foot-7 forward shot 66.9 percent at the rim, and despite not being an elite athlete, he totaled 49 dunks across two seasons in Columbia. He's a powerful two-foot leaper adept at altering his release point mid-air.
Murray-Boyles is dangerous when going downhill. He's a freight train who wasn't easily contained in the SEC and won't be in the NBA. Due to a lack of explosive verticality, the 20-year-old isn't the ideal pick-and-roll partner. Yet, he functions well as a short roller. Murray-Boyles is most comfortable taking a few dribbles before rising to create contact or find a more calculated way to score.
While there aren't many 6-foot-7 low-post players in the NBA, Murray-Boyles is a skilled post player who shot nearly 53 percent on post-up attempts. The former Gamecock doesn't possess many go-to moves and isn't necessarily an ambidextrous finisher, but he's so crafty and patient that it doesn't matter.
Murray-Boyles' playmaking and burgeoning handle are his biggest selling points in the NBA. He's not a primary facilitator by any means, recording 126 assists to 112 turnovers through 60 appearances. Nonetheless, his high IQ is evident in the halfcourt. He's a more than willing passer who has offensive hub potential. There's some Julius Randle to Murray-Boyles' game, not because they're both left-handed (although it does help to see the comparison).
The 6-foot-7 forward won't wow you with creative ball handling; he operates with a concise agenda, typically using a few dribbles to get to the rim or find the best angle, whether it be to pass or score.
Murray-Boyles' shooting proficiency, or lack thereof, is yet to be mentioned. It's by far and away his main concern as a prospect. He knocked down only 9-of-39 triples at South Carolina. His form and release are relatively smooth, and he appeared confident when shooting, but the percentages don't lie. Murray-Boyles knocked down the second-fewest spot up threes and finished with the third-worst score in the three-point star drill at the combine.
Defense
Defense will be the 20-year-old's calling card from the get-go. Murray-Boyles averaged 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks per game as a sophomore. His freshman season wasn't much different. He totaled 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocks as an 18-year-old against high-level competition.
Murray-Boyles' 2.9 steal and 4.7 block percentages are among the best in the draft class. His defensive IQ is through the roof. So many of Murray-Boyles' steals and blocks came purely from timely rotations, not wildly athletic plays.
The 6-foot-7 forward isn't a true defensive anchor capable of deterring any and everything at the rim. He works best as a helpside defender, a roamer, a la Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Draymond Green, a more prevalent comparison. Murray-Boyles is a disruptor. If he were in the NFL, he'd fit the role of strong safety or weakside linebacker.
Murray-Boyles slides his feet well and is somehow almost always square and in a defensive position. Thus, his eyes are always forward, leading to plenty of deflections. Routinely active and staying in a stance, Murray-Boyles is a terrific pick-and-roll defender. He defends the roll-man and pick-and-roll handler well.
The power forward does a terrific job of walling off guards coming around picks. His hedges are a joy to watch. NBA teams will be comfortable asking Murray-Boyles to switch across five positions as soon as he steps onto the floor. He has the lateral quickness and length to disrupt ball handlers and the size to bang with bigs.
Collin Murray-Boyles' fit with the Chicago Bulls
The Bulls would gladly draft Murray-Boyles solely because of his defensive versatility. A stronger, stockier forward is a picturesque fit next to the lankier Matas Buzelis. Think of it as an Isaiah Hartenstein, Chet Holmgren pairing except at the three and four.
Buzelis would no longer be tasked with defending bulkier power forwards if Murray-Boyles is in the lineup. Furthermore, an optimistic projection would assume the 20-year-old would eventually defend the league's best bigs, such as Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, Karl-Anthony Towns, and so on.
Chicago lacks quality interior and perimeter defenders, with Buzelis and Lonzo Ball arguably being the only above-average players on the less glamorous end. Murray-Boyles would immediately elevate the Bulls' defense and play a part in fastening a leaky interior defense that allowed the most points in the paint per game.
Offensively, Murray-Boyles' fit is less seamless, not only on the Bulls but across the association. His offensive NBA comparison is almost impossible to pinpoint. There's some Randle and some Zion Williamson to his game. However, he doesn't have the ball-handling ability or shooting of Randle and isn't nearly as explosive an athlete as Williamson.
Murray-Boyles will likely operate as a short-roll playmaker and spend much of his time in the short corner and dunker spot. If he were to land on the Bulls, his inconsistency from beyond the arc wouldn't be as detrimental. All five Bulls starters a season ago were comfortable letting it go from deep.
If Murray-Boyles unlocks his ball handling to the fullest extent, a Randle comparison wouldn't be far off. Although a Giddey-Murray-Boyles pairing might not seem uber-efficient due to shooting concerns, the playmaking potential is off the charts.
For more prospect profiles and all things draft-related, check out Pippen Ain't Easy's Chicago Bulls draft page. A new prospect's scouting report will be added daily.