South Carolina basketball star named top player at position for 2025 NBA Draft
South Carolina basketball fans haven’t seen the results they had hoped to watch during the 2024-2025 season. The Gamecocks are 10-11 overall and 0-8 in the SEC (the first time that has happened in program history). However, star sophomore Collin Murray-Boyles has been a bright spot in a dark season for Lamont Paris’ team. Because of his strong showing on the court, the 6’7″ forward has maintained his stock (even improving it according to some projections) as a 2025 NBA Draft 1st-round pick.
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On3 college basketball analyst James Fletcher released his 2025 Big Board, and Murray-Boyles earned his top spot among all power forwards. The rest of the season and then the NBA Combine could shake things up a bit, but for now, the Gamecocks’ best player is considered the top player available at his position.
According to Fletcher, Murray-Boyles’ inclusion was obvious. Labeling CMB as “projectable,” Fletcher lauded his defensive versatility. The Columbia native can guard multiple positions with his size and athleticism and has shutdown potential on that end. He’s also got some scoring punch in the post and possesses big-time rebounding ability.
Perhaps the most exciting part about a potential Murray-Boyles selection is that he isn’t a finished product. NBA teams must be intrigued by the fact that he is very productive at the college level despite having a lot of room for growth. Murray-Boyles has shown some shooting touch but has only attempted 24 outside shots in his career. He has also displayed elite passing vision, though, he hasn’t quite figured out the best times to be a distributor.
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No. 30 represents an enticing ball of clay for an NBA franchise to mold. He has drawn comparisons from analysts to NBA All-Stars Draymond Green and Julius Randle. What makes that significant is not that those two players are really good pros. Instead, the intrigue around Murray-Boyles is that those two player comps are vastly different. Green is a defense-first player, while Randle is a scorer. Both players are strong physically and can dribble and pass. The South Carolina product has done enough on both ends of the floor to see high-end upside as a two-way player at the NBA level.
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Murray-Boyles seems destined for his second All-SEC selection when this season ends. This year, he has averaged 15.2 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game while scoring efficiently at a 59% clip. His stats compare favorably across the SEC as he ranks 14th in the league in scoring, 2nd in rebounding, 1st in field goal percentage (among players who have taken enough shots), 17th in steals, and 12th in blocks. All of those numbers come despite him being the focal point of every defense he plays.
If CMB declares for the draft, then he will be the first Gamecock draftee since GG Jackson two years ago. However, if he goes in the 1st round, he will be USC’s first top-30 pick since Ronaldo Balkman in 2006.
