The cream of Canada’s crop has plenty to play for in 2020.
A year of blossoming talent and growing success in Canadian basketball is coming to a close with new names, like RJ Barrett and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and well-known ones, like Andrew Wiggins and Kelly Olynyk, grabbing headlines and further etching Canada’s place on the NBA’s map.
As we enter the New Year and every game starts to get more decisive, here’s what we think should be each of the top-10 Canadians’ New Year’s Resolution.
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RJ Barrett – New York Knicks
31 GP | 13.7 PPG | 2.8 APG | 5.3 RPG | 38.9 FG%
“Baptism by fire” might be the best way to describe RJ Barrett’s rookie season.
While the Knicks are once again embroiled in endless, soap opera-esque drama and very few wins, the third-overall pick remains poised and focused on the game.
Yes, Barrett’s box score numbers have dropped a little, his shooting percentage is far from great, but that is probably at least in part connected to the coaching change that saw David Fizdale — who played Barrett as many as 40 minutes a game during his tenure — leave the Knicks. Less playing time all but invariably translates to less flashy stat lines.
Now, a lot of digital ink has been spilled on New York’s apparent determination to poach Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri in hopes of achieving some sort of deus ex machina. But to this point, Barrett has — at least outwardly — stayed insulated from all the drama. No small feat when playing in the Big Apple on an 8-24 team owned by Mr. James Dolan.
New Year’s Resolution: Keep the drama on Broadway, and away from MSG.
Jamal Murray – Denver Nuggets
30 GP | 17.5 PPG | 4.5 APG | 4.3 RPG | 43.7 FG%
Jamal Murray hasn’t quite ascended to the ranks of NBA superstardom — not yet, at least — but he is proving just how reliable he can be.
Take the 22-year-old’s performance against the Phoenix Suns last Monday, when he had 28 points on 12-of-19 shooting, including the game-winning shot as the game clock died out for a 113-111 final score.
Murray seems to have increased his confidence levels each year he’s been in the league. Currently in his fourth NBA season, the Kitchener, Ont., native is embracing the role of being a leader and the responsibilities that come with it.
“Anyone that knows me knows this: I’m going to take the last shot,” Murray told ESPN earlier this year. “I’ve always believed that, envisioned that, dreamed that, practiced that. And I am going to make it.”
The Western Conference standings are a good reflection of Murray and the Nuggets’ hard work. Denver currently holds second place with a 21-9 record, behind only LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.
New Year’s Resolution: Make an All-NBA team.
Andrew Wiggins – Minnesota Timberwolves
26 GP | 24.8 PPG | 3.3 APG | 5.4 RPG | 44.6 FG%
The Timberwolves followed a promising season start with a streak of 11 (eleven!) losses in a row — a rut that was finally and narrowly ended on Thursday night with a 105-104 double-overtime win against the Sacramento Kings — that earned them the third-worst record in the Western Conference (11-19).
While Wiggins certainly didn’t shine during that streak-breaking double-overtime win, scoring just 18 points on 4-of-19 shooting, the Timberwolves struggles can’t be placed exclusively on his shoulders.
Part of the funk has to do with Karl-Anthony Towns sitting the past five games with a knee injury, and another part of it just seems like pure, collective lack of effort.
“They played harder,” Wiggins said after Minnesota’s 113-104 to the way-shorthanded Golden State Warriors.
Lack of effort surely rings a bell whenever it comes to Wiggins. But the “not enough” cloud that’s hovered him since he joined the league as a No. 1 overall pick in 2014 doesn’t seem to be the issue. The forward, who has missed only three games this season, has consistently put up strong outings, including two 30-plus-point efforts in the month of December.
New Year’s Resolution: Carry this team until KAT returns.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Oklahoma City Thunder
30 GP | 19.1 PPG | 2.9 APG | 5.0 RPG | 44.6 FG%
The Los Angeles Clippers may have gotten Paul George, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is no consolation prize for the Thunder.
And Gilgeous-Alexander made sure to illustrate that in his latest outing against his former team, with a career-high 32 points, along with five assists and two steals in Oklahoma’s win over Kawhi Leonard & Co. on Dec. 22.
More recently, on Thursday against fellow Canadians Brandon Clarke and Dillon Brooks, the guard recorded 21 points on 8-of-19 shooting from the floor in a game-high 37 minutes of action, albeit in a 110-97 losing effort against the Grizzlies.
At 15-15, the Thunder are very much a bubble team in the West, but the four-game winning streak they were riding prior to last night’s loss came in no small part thanks to the Canadian’s contributions.
New Year’s Resolution: Make the playoffs.
Tristan Thompson – Cleveland Cavaliers
29 GP | 12.9 PPG | 2.3 APG | 10.0 RPG | 51.1 FG%
All eyes of Canadian basketball are on Tristan Thompson, who still hasn’t committed to the Olympic Qualifying Tournament that will be played in Victoria, B.C., next June.
As a pending unrestricted free agent, it’s possible Thompson will be without a team during the tournament, and that could potentially affect his status with the national team as suffering an injury while suiting up for Canada would derail any leverage he’d have in contract negotiations.
Of course, there’s also a considerable chance he’ll get traded — and with that comes the potential for an extension even though his numbers have cooled down after a scorching regular-season start. With the Cavaliers’ record at 9-21, the team might look for a compelling package for the veteran big man as a rental.
New Year’s Resolution: Get the heck out of Cleveland and build his value ahead of free agency.
Kelly Olynyk – Miami Heat
30 GP | 8.5 PPG | 1.4 APG | 4.9 RPG | 45.1 FG%
Kelly Olynyk may not be a starter with the Heat, but he’s surely found his footing.
The Toronto native seems to have recovered well from the knee injury he suffered with Team Canada back in August, and has been gradually improving his numbers all season long. His points per game jumped from 7.6 in the 10-game mark to 8.5 at 30 games played and his field-goal percentage rocketed from 36.8 to 45.1.
Much like Thompson, Olynyk’s commitment to Team Canada is still up in the air due to his upcoming free-agent status. Will the national-team hero miss the Olympic Qualifying Tournament?
New Year’s Resolution: Tune out contract talks and help Team Canada reach the Olympics.
Brandon Clarke – Memphis Grizzlies
26 GP | 12.7 PPG | 1.2 APG | 5.7 RPG | 64.7 FG%
The 2019 21st-overall pick is proving an absolute steal for the Grizzlies.
Brandon Clarke, who missed five games due to an oblique injury in early December, has been on an absolute tear since regaining his health.
Ironically, the rookie’s best performance came against the team that originally drafted him, a 27-point, seven-rebound on 13-of-19 shooting effort against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Oklahoma sent him to Memphis in July for the rights to Darius Bazley (23rd overall in 2019) and a future second-round pick.
Hindsight is a curious thing, isn’t it?
New Year’s Resolution: Make the All-Rookie team.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker – New Orleans Pelicans
26 GP | 5.6 PPG | 1.8 APG | 2.1 RPG | 33.1 FG%
It’s been a rough stretch to close out December for Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
After scoring nine points in 22:44 minutes on Dec. 17 against the Brooklyn Nets, Alexander-Walker has gone scoreless for three straight games, getting just 2:45 of playing time against the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday.
Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry then decided not to play Alexander-Walker in the team’s Christmas win over the Nuggets.
Before the skid, however, the rookie was having a steady — if unspectacular — season. His numbers are up since the 10-game mark, and it seemed like he was adjusting well to life on the main stage.
Patience is key for the 21-year-old, and one might wonder if a trip to the G-League could help him build some confidence.
New Year’s Resolution: Find consistency, by any means necessary.
Dwight Powell – Dallas Mavericks
27 GP | 8.4 PPG | 1.4 APG | 5.2 RPG | 61.1 FG%
Behind Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis, Dwight Powell has become a bonafide starting centre for the Mavericks. He’s also among the several Canadian players who have committed to the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in June — a considerable addition given his solid numbers lately.
Powell had a respectable 17 points and nine rebounds on 6-of-9 shooting against the Raptors on Dec. 22, when Toronto managed to come back from a 30-point deficit and make history at Scotiabank Arena.
New Year’s Resolution: Help the Mavs return to the playoffs.
Dillon Brooks – Memphis Grizzlies
32 GP | 14.3 PPG | 2.0 APG | 3.5 RPG | 40.3 FG%
This is what Dillon Brooks can do when he’s healthy.
After playing just 18 games last season due to injuries, the swingman is back as a starter for the Grizzlies, racking up impressive offensive numbers all while playing a vital role on defence.
Brooks’s numbers were very up-and-down earlier in the season, but he seems to have found consistency on the scoreboard lately, averaging a season-high 16.9 points per game for the Grizzlies in December on 42.8 per cent shooting from the floor.
Though the Grizzlies are far from a contending team, their rebuild seems to be on a well-paved track. The core of Ja Morant, Clarke and Brooks looks destined for great things, should the team choose to bring back Brooks.
On the final year of his rookie contract, he has more than made up for last season’s lost time.
New Year’s Resolution: Stay in Memphis on a fair deal and play out the team’s promising future.
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