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Collin Murray-Boyles was one of the millions to react to the OKC Thunder's NBA championship. The Thunder secured their first title since moving to Oklahoma City on Sunday, and the team posted its players posing with the championship trophy on Instagram on Monday.
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South Carolina basketball star Murray-Boyles shared a snap of fellow Columbia, South Carolina, native Dillon Jones on his Instagram story.
"@gfb.dj🏡"
The two basketball stars share a hometown and played at rival high schools, with Murray-Boyles attending A.C. Flora High School and Jones going to Keenan High School. However, Jones spent his college career at Weber State, while Murray-Boyce honed his skill set at South Carolina.
Jones was selected No. 26 overall by the Washington Wizards in the 2024 NBA draft, but his draft rights were traded to the Thunder. Now, he has become a champion in his rookie season.
Murray-Boyles is set to join Jones in the NBA next season. The forward has declared for the 2025 NBA draft and is expected to be a first-round selection.
Collin Murray-Boyles' NBA draft profile
Collin Murray-Boyles is coming off an impressive sophomore campaign at South Carolina and is now preparing for the beginning of his professional career. This season, Murray-Boyles started in every game for the Gamecocks and led the squad in points (16.8 ppg), rebounds (8.3 rpg), steals (1.5 spg) and blocks (1.3 bpg). He shot 58.6%, including 26.5% from beyond the arc.
Murray-Boyles has a high basketball IQ and impressive physicality. At 6-foot-7, he is undersized for his position, but he makes up for his lack of size with his toughness and production. The forward has a versatile skill set and a good feel for the game. At 20 years old, he's a young player in this draft class and has time to develop to his potential at the NBA level.
It has been suggested that Murray-Boyles could be drafted by the Phoenix Suns after they traded Kevin Durant. The Suns traded Durant to the Houston Rockets in exchange for their No. 10 pick in this year's draft. ESPN predicted that Phoenix could pick up Murray-Boyles with the No. 10 pick. ESPN analyst Jonathan Givony gave his thoughts on this potential pick.
"It's not easy to peg Murray-Boyles' draft range, with most pointing to the Nos. 10-to-16 range, which includes some of the most analytics-influenced teams in the NBA, Atlanta, Oklahoma City and Memphis," Givony wrote.
"NBA teams say Murray-Boyles rates historically well in their draft models, thanks to his strong passing, foul-drawing ability, 2-point shooting, defensive playmaking and youth, which will appeal to several teams in this range."
Collin Murray-Boyles' NBA future will officially be decided on Wednesday. Whether or not he is selected by the Suns, he is an admirable forward with impressive statistics at South Carolina and the potential to thrive at the professional level.
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