This summer had everything Canadian basketball fans could have wanted: A coming-out party for the best Canadian in the world, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander; a re-invention for Mississauga, Ont.’s most wanted, Dillon Brooks; a historic bronze medal after beating Team USA for the first time at a World Cup; and a highly coveted spot for Team Canada in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The question is: How will the Canadians follow it up?
Men’s basketball continues to grow in Canada, from the grassroots level all the way up to the NBA. This year, Canada will have the most players from any country outside of the United States for a 10th straight NBA season, with 27 Canadians on pre-season rosters, including two fresh faces from the 2023 NBA Draft in Montreal’s Olivier-Maxence Prosper and Scarborough, Ont.’s Leonard Miller.
But with all due respect to the up-and-comers — who will be covered in new and exciting ways in this recurring column every second Friday — the moment belongs to Team Canada. And I’m not talking about Andrew Wiggins or Chris Boucher, who have both expressed interest in joining the Canadian team in Paris.
No. I’m talking about the seven NBA players who sacrificed their summer to create one of the best teams in Canadian men’s basketball history, resurrecting the program by winning its first-ever medal at a World Cup and qualifying for its first Olympic Games since 2000.
From Gilgeous-Alexander honing in on that illustrious MVP trophy to his cousin Nickeil Alexander-Walker seeking long-awaited stability in the league, here is a look at Team Canada’s top seven heading into the 2023-24 NBA season:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | PG | Oklahoma City Thunder
2022-23 stats: 31-5-6 on 51/35/91 shooting
World Cup stats: 25-6-6 on 54/30/89 shooting
Approaching the 2023 FIBA World Cup, everybody understood that Gilgeous-Alexander was a transcendent talent on his way to superstardom. We just didn’t know that he had already arrived.
The 25-year-old point guard put Team Canada on his back throughout the knockout round, propelling Canada to come-from-behind victories against France, Latvia, Spain and Slovenia — outscoring each of those teams in at least one quarter by himself. Sure, Gilgeous-Alexander was already one of the most clutch players in the NBA last season, placing seventh in Clutch Player of the Year award voting after scoring 128 points in the last five minutes of close games. But without a playoff series win to his name, his resume lacked a signature moment until he was the best player in the World Cup, proving once and for all that he has a singular ability to pull wins out of a hat in the most pressure-packed situations.
Gilgeous-Alexander enters the 2023-24 NBA season as a bona fide superstar and potential MVP candidate, but whether or not he can become the first Canadian to win the award since Steve Nash in 2005-06 will depend on how far he can drag the youthful Oklahoma City Thunder in a competitive Western Conference. As one of the best scorers in the NBA, a great passer who had a nearly 6-to-1 assist to turnover ratio at the World Cup, and an improved defender, Gilgeous-Alexander has all the tools. And as Sam Presti and the Thunder front office slowly rebuild the team, they already possess the difficult piece of the puzzle.
Dillon Brooks | SG | Houston Rockets
2022-23 stats: 14-3-3 on 40/33/78 shooting
World Cup stats: 15-3-3 on 59/59/79 shooting
Brooks rewrote the script on his career this summer with a standout performance for Team Canada, averaging 23 points, four rebounds, three assists on 80 per cent true shooting and 67 per cent from three in Canada’s four elimination games, including a 39-point masterpiece against Team USA in the bronze medal game. He was also named Best Defensive Player of the tournament.
But it wasn’t just what Brooks did at the World Cup, it was also how he did it. After all, Brooks struggled in Memphis last season, going overboard as an instigator in the playoffs when he failed to back up his harsh words for LeBron James, as the Los Angeles Lakers left him wide open from the perimeter and he shot just 24 per cent from three in the 4-2 series loss. The Grizzlies then announced that they would not be bringing Brooks back under any circumstances and, despite signing a four-year, $80-million deal with the Houston Rockets in free agency, there were still lingering questions about whether or not Brooks could excel in his role in the NBA. Which is exactly why his performance at the World Cup was so inspiring, and bodes well for the Rockets.
Brooks tentatively entered camp, playing his role as a lockdown defender while moving the ball quickly and taking shots only when he was wide open, averaging just five field goal attempts over Canada’s first four games. But when Canada needed a secondary creator in a win-or-go-home game against Spain, Brooks answered the call with 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting, 3-of-3 from three — a game he claimed was the best performance of his career, given the stakes. And he continued to answer the call from thereon out, proving to be Canada’s second-best player and the perfect secondary scorer.
If there were any questions about whether Brooks could excel in a limited role after the way his tenure in Memphis ended, his performance for Team Canada should have made it plainly clear that he is capable — and willing — to do whatever is needed for his team.
RJ Barrett | SF | New York Knicks
2022-23 stats: 20-5-3 on 43/31/74 shooting
World Cup stats: 17-5-2 on 45/37/63 shooting
If Barrett took any flak for his steady but not overwhelming performance at the World Cup, he should feel honoured. At just 23 years of age and with a boatload of international experience to his name, expectations are high for the six-foot-six wing, who showed flashes of brilliance but wasn’t ready to step up as a primary scorer in the same way that Gilgeous-Alexander and Brooks were.
Still, Barrett’s defence and shot-making were instrumental in getting Canada back to the Olympics for the first time since his father and godfather did it 23 years ago. He started every game for Canada and averaged 30.6 minutes, second only to Gilgeous-Alexander on the team. And he was +105 throughout the tournament, second only to Dwight Powell. The list of players who can have that sort of impact at the international level at such a young age is extremely short. And Barrett is only getting better each season.
The swing skill for Barrett continues to be shooting. He had a down year last season, shooting 32.3 per cent from three on catch-and-shoot jumpers and just 19.6 per cent from three off the dribble. Until his shot becomes a weapon, Barrett is going to be limited as an offensive initiator. But he shot 37 per cent on 6.4 three-point attempts in the World Cup and is quietly improving in all the other areas of his game, from his playmaking reads to his strength-based driving to his versatile defence. As Barrett begins the first year of a four-year, $107-million contract, the Knicks are going to benefit from his continued growth.
Kelly Olynyk | PF | Utah Jazz
2022-23 stats: 13-6-4 on 50/39/85 shooting
World Cup stats: 11-5-3 on 42/36/93 shooting
FIBA Olynyk has long been a thing among Canadian basketball circles. As one of the longest-tenured members of Team Canada, Olynyk always seems to unlock the best version of himself in international competition. But the 32-year-old forward was actually more successful in his most recent NBA season than he was at the World Cup this summer, where he struggled to shoot and was pulled from the starting lineup due to defensive miscues in crucial matches.
After fitting in perfectly with head coach Will Hardy’s high-octane offence in Utah last season, Olynyk will surely carve out a role for himself on a Jazz team looking to take the next step. But he enters his second season with the Jazz playing in a front court that just got more cramped because of the off-season addition of John Collins. As a pending free agent, don’t be surprised if Olynyk’s name is mentioned when the trade deadline rolls around.
Dwight Powell | C | Dallas Mavericks
2022-23 stats: 7-4-1 on 73/0/67 shooting
World Cup stats: 5-4-1 on 64/0/71 shooting
Powell is once again on the outside looking in at the Mavericks’ starting centre position as rookie Dereck Lively II gets the first opportunity. But that’s nothing new to the 32-year-old veteran who has spent the last eight and a half seasons in Dallas, making him the longest-tenured Maverick. In fact, Powell didn’t even touch the floor in the first four games of last season, when free agent signee Javale McGee got the nod at starting centre. But when Powell did play in the fifth game, he won the job and never looked back. Don’t be surprised if that happens again.
Powell is coming off an impressive World Cup run with Team Canada where he proved to be an invaluable piece of the team as the only traditional centre to figure into their rotation, finishing with a team-high +110. Not only does Powell do the dirty work with a smile on his face, but he is an elite positional defender who knows how to break up plays, while rebounding well on both ends of the floor. Playing for a Mavericks and Canadian team that are both thin in the frontcourt, Powell is set up to have another big year.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker | SG | Minnesota Timberwolves
2022-23 stats: 6-2-2 on 44/38/67 shooting
World Cup stats: 9-2-2 on 40/39/45 shooting
After being traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves midway through last season, Alexander-Walker immediately thrived in head coach Chris Finch’s system as he became a two-way spark plug off the bench. By the end of the season, Alexander-Walker had earned enough trust to guard his cousin, Gilgeous-Alexander, in the play-in tournament, where he helped the Timberwolves advance to the post-season. The 25-year-old continued his stellar play in a 4-1 series defeat to the eventual champion Denver Nuggets, playing 29.6 minutes a game and hitting 40 per cent from three, a trend he would continue at the World Cup.
Alexander-Walker was more than solid for Team Canada this summer, where his timely three-point shooting was the difference in a number of games. After signing a two-year, $9-million deal to stay in Minnesota this offseason, Alexander-Walker has a chance to finally find some long-awaited stability with a team that could be a threat in the West.
Lu Dort | SF | Oklahoma City Thunder
2022-23 stats: 14-5-2 on 39/33/77 shooting
World Cup stats: 8-4-1 on 37/35/55 shooting
Believe it or not, Dort is the longest-tenured member of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Go figure. The 24-year-old enters his fifth NBA season with a healthy three years of guaranteed money remaining on the five-year, $82-million deal he signed last offseason, which he earned by developing into one of the best defensive players in the league. That defence was evident at the World Cup, where Dort started some games for Olynyk when Team Canada needed to get stops.
However, Dort will have to fight for his minutes and a starting spot on a Thunder team that got deeper this offseason, adding Chet Holmgren, Davis Bertans and Cason Wallace into the fold. He will have to shoot the ball better than he did last season, too, given that the Thunder are already trying to play one non-shooter, Josh Giddey, in its backcourt. Despite being the longest-tenured Thunder player, Dort has to prove he fits into the long-term vision of this team.