Collin Murray-Boyles made the Raptors' bench look like the wrong place for him in Game 3. He scored 22 points in 28 minutes against the Cleveland Cavaliers, adding eight rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal while shooting 4-for-6.
Jakob Poeltl had eight points on 4-for-6 shooting, with six rebounds, two assists and one block, but the numbers around him kept pointing toward Murray-Boyles as the player changing Toronto's tempo. The rookie has looked better in the playoffs than he did in the regular season, and he is averaging 17.7 points per game in the postseason — third on the Raptors behind Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett — while also ranking second on the team in rebounds behind Sandro Mamukelashvili.
That production is why the idea of starting Murray-Boyles has started to gain traction. 's Tim Bontemps discussed the possibility on the April 24 episode of The Hoop Collective, saying Toronto needs turnovers and transition chances to have any shot at making the series competitive. He pointed to the Cavaliers' 23-8 edge in points off turnovers and argued the Raptors have to force mistakes, push the pace and get easy buckets if they want to stay in the fight.
That fits the way Murray-Boyles has been used in the series. His physicality and versatility on defense have stood out, and Toronto's small-ball options make his ability to cover ground more valuable as the games get tighter. Poeltl still gives the Raptors size and interior presence, but the playoff case for Murray-Boyles is now about more than a hot hand. It is about whether Toronto wants to gamble on chaos and speed or stay with a more traditional look against a Cleveland team that has already shown how costly turnovers can be.
If the Raptors make a change, it would be because Murray-Boyles has already shown he can do more than survive in the postseason. He has given Toronto an energy and two-way edge that has turned a bench role into a real lineup question, and that decision may define how competitive the series can become.
