Jakob Poeltl played much better in Game 3 than in the first two games of the Raptors’ first-round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He put up 8 points on 4-6 shooting, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block, and provided size to put on Jarrett Allen.
Still, his production paled in comparison to Collin Murray-Boyles’s game. The rookie recorded 22 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, and 1 steal in 28 minutes off the bench. He continues to look better and better the more playoff minutes he gets under his belt, which is why the idea that Murray-Boyles should start over Poeltl is still gaining traction. ESPN’s Tim Bontemps noted on the April 24 episode of The Hoop Collective that starting Murray-Boyles would allow the Raptors to exploit their biggest advantage in this series even further.
“That 23 to 8 points off turnovers advantage,” Bontemps said, “if Toronto has any chance of making the series competitive, that’s what they have to do. They have to turn the Cavs over. They gotta get out and run and get easy buckets. They are going to be small, and it’s going to be a challenge, but I might just go with Murray-Boyles and just go total chaos-mode and try to just create as many turnovers as they can because that’s their path to being competitive.”
Murray-Boyles has barely looked like a rookie in the playoffs
Rookies don’t often make a smooth transition from the regular season to the playoffs, but that hasn’t been a problem for Collin Murray-Boyles. If anything, he has looked even more impressive in the playoffs.
He has been a steady contributor off the bench, averaging the third-most points per game behind Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett with 17.7, and the second-most rebounds after Sandro Mamukelashvili. His physicality and versatility on defense also stood out.
Murray-Boyles’s role has grown steadily over the first three games, going from 20 minutes in Game 1 to 26 minutes in Game 2 and then 28 minutes in Game 3. Given his performance in the Raptors’ first win of the series, Darko Rajaković may be ready to trust the rookie even more.
The Raptors finally looked like themselves
Game 3 marked a turning point for the Raptors. They finally played their brand of basketball, scoring 23 points off the Cavs’ 22 turnovers and getting to the rim for 60 points in the paint compared to the Cavs’ 40.
Locking in defensively and forcing turnovers is the key to the Raptors’ survival, and Murray-Boyles improves their ability to do just that.