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Canada Basketball's Ideal Olympic Roster

3/1/2021

10 Comments

 
Written By Jack MacCool
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With Canada ranking second overall in terms of NBA player representation with 20 players (trailing only the United States), one would think Canada could put together a fantastic roster of NBA players for international play.  Well in the past you’d be wrong, with many Canadian NBA players opting out of playing for their country in order to focus on the offseason or their upcoming NBA seasons.  As we as Canadians hope that this will change in the future, the good news is that should Canada qualify for either the 2021 Olympics or the Tokyo 2024 Games, this will hopefully persuade some NBA players who were a little shy about wearing Canada on their jersey to come out and compete.  So, with Canada officially only having one more hurdle to qualify for the 2021 Summer Olympic Games, what better time than now to take an in-depth look at the ideal 12-man roster Canada Basketball could put together for this tournament and future Olympic Games.   

Starting Five:  


Point Guard: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a future NBA All-Star without a doubt.  He’s having the best season of his young career thus far, with averages of 22.3 PPG, 6.4 AST, and 5.4 RBS.  Shai is the backbone of his Oklahoma City team in terms of offence, consistently leading them in scoring while also successfully running OKC’s sets with efficiency and poise.  SGA would be an excellent starter for Canada as he would present a tough-nosed, high IQ guard who could handle the different style of international play.  SGA can easily play alongside other scorers like Jamal Murray and have success through his playmaking and improved off-ball offence.  Shai is going to be a staple of Canada Basketball moving forward and is definitely one of the best players Canada has ever produced. 

Shooting Guard: Jamal Murray

Jamal Murray is the best scorer Canada has, so sliding him in at the two guard spot alongside a strong Point Guard in SGA is a no-brainer.  Murray can score at high volumes in both regular season play and when the game slows down in highly competitive situations, just look at his numbers from last year’s run to the conference finals by his Nuggets.  Murray has a history of play with Team Canada from his time as an amateur so don’t expect Jamal to bow out of competition without very good reasons.  Murray will be very successful in this starting five due to the fact that he’ll have other outlets for scoring in order to take some of the load off of the scorer’s back.  Watch out for Canada’s ideal backcourt with Murray averaging 20 PPG so far this season.

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 Small Forward: Andrew Wiggins

Andrew Wiggins is having a bounce-back year in a big way in his first full season with Golden State.  The Canadian small forward is averaging 17.7 PPG with some serious improvements on the defensive side of the ball.  Wiggins brings extreme athleticism and experience to this ripe Canada Basketball squad as he is in his 7th season in the NBA.  With Wiggins’ new found defensive identity he’ll be a welcome addition to this starting five.  With the brunt of the ball handling duties falling with SGA and Murray, Wiggins will have an opportunity to slash to the basket and shoot the three-ball with efficiency while his teammates set him up.  Expect a big showing from Wiggins should he come out for international play in the future.   

Power Forward: Brandon Clarke

Brandon Clarke might not bring the flashiest playstyle to this Canada Basketball team, however he brings extreme effort and hustle to the game.  The Vancouver native rebounds and blocks shots very well, and his tenacious style of play will translate very nicely to the international style of play.  His energy will be infectious and with the other scorers alongside him in the starting five, his primary responsibilities will be defence, screens, and being a spark plug for this team.  Clarke is averaging over a block per game and almost a steal per game in the NBA, so with the loose whistle in international basketball, he is going to be great for Canada. 

Centre: Chris Boucher

Chris Boucher is having a massive jump in the Montrealer’s fourth NBA season.  He has boosted his averages by huge increments now averaging; 13.2 PPG, to go along with 6.6 boards, and 2.0 BLKS.  These numbers jump off the page for a guy who isn’t even starting in Toronto.  With more opportunity on the national team, expect those numbers to climb even more.  With Boucher already being familiar with Coach Nick Nurse’s systems, it will be a smooth adjustment for Chris to switch to international play.  Playing alongside crafty playmakers will allow him to find easy looks on offence, while at the other end of the floor, he and Clarke will be tough to score on in the paint.  


 Reserves: 


RJ Barrett

RJ Barrett loves representing Canada in international play after winning FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup including a massive win over The United States.  Barrett will provide an excellent lift off the bench with his ability to create his own shot and rebound the basketball.  Barrett is having a much better Sophomore year averaging close to seventeen points per contest for a Knicks team who is competing every night.  While Barrett is slotted as a reserve in this list, he would be an excellent replacement for a starter in regards to injury, or if he plays like he has in the past for Canada. 

Luguentz Dort

This guy is one of the greatest defenders in the NBA currently, and when the whistle becomes a little more relaxed in FIBA play, only look for his defence to get even better than it already is.  Dort would certainly be this team’s primary defensive stopper of non-big men.  Dort’s uncanny ability to move his hips and his feet in order to stay in front of the very best guards in the world will help this team to become more complete.  Dort’s production doesn’t end at the defensive end however, with his offence really coming into its own in his second season in the NBA, with averages of 12.6 PPG on 33% 3PT.  Look for Lu to get spot starts on this team if the opposition has one dominant player who needs to get the clamps. 

Dillon Brooks

Brooks has proven to be a starting caliber player in the NBA the last two seasons.  He has shown his ability to adequately defend at the NBA level and his career 41% three-point percentage will bring great shooting off the bench for this ideal Canada team.  Like Brandon Clarke, Brooks has adopted the hard-nosed style of Memphis basketball.  Brooks is a good leader who plays with a chip on his shoulder which will only help this team.   

Dwight Powell

After a devastating injury in last year’s NBA season, Powell is progressing well to return to the form he was in when the injury occurred last season.  Powell will bring a high IQ, high-effort style of play to Canada’s second unit.  Dwight rebounds the ball effectively and is used to playing alongside great passers like SGA and Corey Joseph due to his relationship with phenom Luka Dončić.    Once Powell is back to 100% he will definitely bring a big boost to Canada’s second unit. 

Kelly Olynyk

Kelly Olynyk brings a very strong veteran presence to this team with a lot of young players.  Olynyk is a wonderful international player as he plays with a huge chip on it’s shoulder and can do it all on the court.  He can shoot the three at a high level and has international experience under his belt.  Olynyk will be able to slide seamlessly in and out of the starting lineup as well as crunch time lineups should he be outplaying starters. Watch for Kelly to be the 6-man of the tournament if he stays coming off the bench.  


 Corey Joseph

What more can be said about Corey Joe than his unbelievable commitment to Canada Basketball and his extreme veteran leadership he’ll bring to the team.  He can come off the bench and continue to run the offence at a high-level while getting great shot opportunities for his teammates.  Joseph has been around for a long time and his presence on Canada’s bench will only help the young guns like SGA and Jamal Murray.   

Khem Birch​

Last but not least is Khem Birch of Orlando.  Birch’s energy and rebounding will be what he brings to the table for this team.  In limited minutes he’s averaging almost six rebounds a night which is exactly what this second unit needs.  Birch has played for Canada in the past and should he again, he should be awarded for his service and his determination.  Birch will complement the more perimeter-oriented play of the rest of the reserve big men like Olynyk and Powell. 

Conclusion:

Now this would be Canada’s roster if EVERYTHING went according to plan, of course that is not always the case so should any of the listed players opt-out of playing for Canada for some reason (that hopefully isn’t lack of interest), Canada has a multitude of options to fill those spots.  

If you’re looking at employing strictly NBA players, then there are still a lot of good options on the board, with the likes of Tristan Thompson, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Michael Mulder, and more.  All of these players would be able to effectively fit a role on Canada’s team should anything happen to the reserves or starters. 

It also important to mention the players who may not be NBA players, but have played for Canada in years prior and helped them reach a spot where the national team even has a chance to make the Olympics.  Guys like Phil Scrubb, Anthony Bennett, and even a USPORTS player Kadre Gray made large impacts on the recent Team Canada squad who qualified Canada for the 2022 FIBA AmeriCup Qualifier.  
 

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Overall, Canada has a wealth of talent to choose from for their national team program so expectations are high for what this country can do on the hardwood.  With the Olympic Games approaching, watch out for Canada as a sleeper to win the gold.
10 Comments
Bryan Davies
3/2/2021 05:16:32 pm

Great article by Jack McCool ... his faith in Wiggins is admirable ... and maybe Andrew has acquired the maturity of years .. that Dillon Brooks brings every night out... but aren't sports debates da best!!!! Nice job Jack

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Shanna Monroe
3/3/2021 02:01:48 pm

Great article Jack!!

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WS
3/11/2021 12:46:30 pm

Jack - fun read but there a few things worth noting.

A couple factual errors to start - I believe there are 20 Canadians in the NBA right now not 17. Two way players Karim Mane and Nate Darling are officially on rosters. You may have missed Iggy Brazdeikis or Mfiondu Kabengele as well (or Trey Lyles).
Also Dillon Brooks is shooting career 41 FG% not 3PT%. He's not the most efficient player but he is a hard nosed defender and not one afraid to shoot.

You also seem not to appreciate the difference in FIBA and the NBA. Just because you are on a NBA roster, it doesn't make you better at FIBA than the top guys playing aboard. It is a very different style of game with some very different rules and I think experience with FIBA matter immensely to the SMNT. Recall Argentina placing second in the 2019 WC with not one NBA player.

Look to some Euro based player to be on any team as their experience is invaluable to the other players. Kevin Pangos would be the top of that list and would likely make the finale twelve even if all 20 NBA players showed up. Kyle Wiltjer, Dyshawn Pierre, Melvin Ejim and Phil Scrubb could be other top Euro vets with deep SMNT experience that could fill important roles. This carries over to the guys you have on your 12 too. Brandon Clarke has never played a minute of FIBA basketball in his life at any level - perhaps Dort too. SGA, Murray, Boucher haven't played much either. .Whereas Kelly Olynyk, Tristan Thompson, Khem Birch, Cory Joseph are much more experienced and in reality are likely much higher on the depth chart than you have here. And I love Boucher's growth this year but he can not for a second defend the bulky bigs that European teams will send at us. He is likely better suited as a PF or a situation back-up C. TT, Birch or even Olynyk would be a preferred starting Centre.

Keep in mind the lower rung guys in the NBA will get run off the court by higher end FIBA players at FIBA basketball. To me that makes Pangos, Pierre, the Scrubbs, Dylan Ennis, Tyler Ennis, Kyle Alexander, Marial Shayok more interesting than Mychal Mulder, Oshae Brissett, Kabengele, Simi Shittu, Anthony Bennett etc.

Kadre Grey likely isn't in the top 20 or 30 guys outside the NBA. Gotta go a long way down the list until you get to him.

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Coach Hugh
3/11/2021 01:16:04 pm

WS great feedback.

I am curious if you would share your ideal 12 man roster taking into account the differences you mentioned. What would you change from Jack's roster? Who would you replace with who? I've always been a big fan of Ejim personally.

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WS
3/12/2021 02:10:54 pm

Coach Hugh...
It is a hard question - one we will likely never face, as I'm certain we will never have full turnout for a variety of reasons.

But in a hypothetical world I'm not going to be too different from Jack, I just may mix the starters and depth a little differently. I really would try to find a way to get Kevin Pangos on the roster - as one of the best PGs in Europe, he is almost the perfect player/coach (Nash-lite, if you will) for this group of guys as a back up PG. He is weak defensively but we can floor so much defensive strength that he could easily be protected.

My starters would be:
SGA
Murray
Wiggins
Olynyk
TT (I really want to put Birch here)

Bench:
CoJo
Pangos
Dort
Barrett
Clarke
Boucher
Birch

My knock on Clarke (who I love) is that he has never played FIBA or played for Nurse. But I'd love to see him get experience here. Olynyk is really an ideal FIBA type big , has usually been Canada's best player when he's played the last 5-6 years and has so many weapons (shoot, drive, pass) to open up the floor for our guards/wings to penetrate. FIBA is a more packed paint with less room to usually operate, so a big that can stretch the floor is extremely important - even more deadly if they can drive and pass/kick the way KO can. I think he is top 3 for me after SGA and Murray.

Euro teams can still come with some big, strong centres so I still think having a TT or Birch on the floor defensively is very important (they are both FIBA experienced too).
I love Boucher, but is is just too thin to defend the paint in FIBA (or the NBA) and I'd much rather see Nurse throwing him out there from the bench at our advantage. But Boucher will be pretty key this summer as Olynyk will be a FA and probably wont play.

The guys I removed are Powell and Dillon Brooks. Powell still doesn't look quite right, isnt a great defender or rim protector or outside shooter (even fully healthy he is pretty limited actually) and I'd obviously want TT more as I have him starting. I'm just not seeing a tonne of value with Powell right now (but we really may need him this summer). Brooks is really hard to leave off, but I'm not sure what else to do (I want Pangos that badly) - I like Dort in the defensive stopper roll better (although Brooks is great too). And this year Barrett has over taken Brooks for me. Brooks might be a little too inefficient and shot happy for me. I see him take way too many bad shots for Memphis perhaps. CoJo still just needs to be there too - he has too much FIBA experience, is a veteran leader and can fill a variety of rolls. But in a vacuum Brooks probably is a better player.

It is a really hard exercise at this point, so I surely didn't mean any offense to Jack. I'd love, love , love to see Canada have his roster this summer. And the way Boucher is playing lately he may be Canada's best big. I just weigh FIBA experience fairly heavily and KO, TT and Birch have more of it. And TT and Birch (KO too to a degree) bring the size, strength, defense that I really think we will need.

WS
3/12/2021 02:21:11 pm

Oh... and with Ejim its tough. He is a great role player, jack of trades type of guy and has been hugely important to Canada filling in holes. He might have been Canada's best player in the 2016 Manila Qualifier. He has been a little up and down for Canada more recently. He is fairly undersized for a PF and not a good enough shooter as a SF. He is also 30 now and seemed plateaued in his development with perhaps some declining athleticism. I don't think he cracks a roster if Canada's best show up (but that usually doesn't happen). And frankly I'm more interested in Dyshawn Pierre nowadays. Pierre (27) is only few years younger than Ejim but is still drastically improving. He is a terrific rebounder for his size, one of the best and most versatile defenders in the EuroLeague and really improved his outside shooting to where he is an excellent SF option. In my eyes Pierre is the best Canadian player in Europe besides Pangos. With the SMNT, Ejim had histrionically overshadowed Pierre as Ejim was older, better and more experienced. I am now quite certain Pierre is the better player. I hope he gets his shot...

Jack MacCool
3/12/2021 10:11:01 am

Thank you very much for the critiques, you're absolutely right. Apologies for not recognizing that I was missing out on a lot of guys. I will definitely take all of these suggestions into account the next time I write about Canada Basketball. Sorry again!

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Bryan Davies
3/12/2021 12:29:56 pm

I enjoyed reading Jack's original post and WS's reply ... although WS - as someone who has enjoyed a long relationship with a leading Munich youth / minor pro club (I have coached in FIBA competition games in UK, Austria and Germany) your suggestion that lower level NBA guys will get run off the floor by good European players playing FIBA is maybe a bridge too far. There is far more stylistic convergence now between NBA and Euro ball than your post suggests, in my opinion ... and conceptual differences that you (rightly) identify are far less apparent today - but that is why sports debates are great 👍

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WS
3/12/2021 01:38:44 pm

Yes...maybe some hyperbole on my part and I agree that the game has converged over the years. I would still put up money on a cohesive national team comprised of EuroLeague players versus a disjointed thrown together team of deep NBA bench players though. The USA still has enough trouble in FIBA unless it brings its over the top best talent.

I'd also advocate for Kevin Pangos, Melvn Ejim and Dyshawn Pierre on a Team Canada over many of Canada's peripheral NBA/G-League players.

Good long running thread on Team Canada if any of you want to join the debate:
https://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=2057121

More the merrier.

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    About The Blogger...

    Jack MacCool is an aspiring sports journalist currently in his second year of studying Sport Media at Ryerson University.  Jack is a die-hard basketball fan who played rep basketball for many years locally under the 613 Banner.  Jack covers Canada Basketball as well as news and stories from around the basketball world!

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