The pain of the Toronto Raptors’ loss to the LA Lakers was compounded by the latest injury update on one of their starting pieces. The team included Collin Murray-Boyles in the starting lineup for the ninth consecutive time this season. However, his impactful night came to an end in the second half of the contest at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday.

According to the latest update, the Raptors’ rookie re-aggravated his injured left thumb in the third quarter, forcing him to exit the game. Per Michael Grange, “CMB’s had his thumb in a split since he hurt it against Miami before Christmas.” And with the latest updates, Murray-Boyles’ X-rays were negative, and he has been diagnosed with a thumb contusion.

With over six minutes left in the third quarter, the forward received a pass from Scottie Barnes in the paint. As he rose up to score, Luka Doncic swiped it down. In a painful scene, Murray-Boyles held his thumb in agonizing pain.

Murray-Boyles moved to the bench, where he was attended by medical staff. However, he was quickly led to the locker room. The immediate update said that he was questionable to return to the court for the rest of the night.

Minutes later, he was ruled out of the contest with the injury. The Raptors replaced him with Sandro Mamukelashvili, who was also in the midst of a stellar night before the Lakers ruined it.

Murray-Boyles has been filling in for Jakob Poeltl, who has been out of the lineup since December. However, with him potentially out of the lineup for the next few games, the Raptors might have to compromise on their small-ball lineup.

Before he exited the game, the Raptors forward was on the verge of one of his best games of the season. He totalled 11 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks in just 25 minutes. He exited having made five of his seven 3-point shot attempts.

Murray-Boyles remained in the background for the first three months. However, since he joined the starting lineup, he has been simply outstanding. While the Raptors’ rookie has shown his impact on both ends, his defense has been the highlight of his first year.

Murray-Boyles might be the first glimpse of what the Raptors could be in the next few years.

Toronto Raptors have a promising future with Collin Murray-Boyles and Scottie Barnes pairing

In the first three months that he played of his rookie year, Murray-Boyles never averaged in double-digits in a single month. During November and December, he averaged fewer than 7 points per calendar month.

In January, both the numbers and the stakes spiked. In the NBA, a player’s injury can open the door for another to shine.

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In the case of Murray-Boyles, in the absence of Poeltl, he seized the opportunity. He didn’t waste it. He proved he can defend, score, and most importantly, pass—skills that are rare and valuable for his position. In today’s NBA, where playmaking is prized, his ability to distribute the ball is a true asset.

The Raptors have gone with a small-ball lineup with Murray-Boyles at the forward position. All season long, his pairing with Scottie Barnes showed some early promise for the Raptors.

This season, with the rookie Murray-Boyles and Barnes on the floor, Toronto has a defensive rating of just 105.40 and a net rating of +7.15.

The current defensive number has diluted in the last few games, because their initial pairing was even more remarkable. In the first five games that Murray-Boyles started with Barnes this month, the Raptors allowed only 89.2 points per 100 possessions.

Barnes and Murray-Boyles have combined size and athleticism in their defensive strategy. They can seamlessly shift and switch from a guard to a big man. Even though the rookie hasn’t played much, Barnes has already shown his confidence in his rookie season.

“I know I can trust him to have my back, similar-sized, strong as hell, be able to switch no matter where we are out there on the floor,” he said. “He can guard guards, guard bigs, one through five.”

The Athletic’s Eric Koreen said that Murray-Boyles was the “strongest Raptors rookie” he had covered. At 6-7, 245 pounds, people don’t expect much from a rookie in terms of handling the physicality of the NBA.

Murray-Boyles has already excelled in that department. And let’s not forget that the Raptors coach had high praise for the rookie. He credited Murray-Boyles in the previous Lakers game when LeBron James’ double-digit scoring streak ended.