Next-gen Canadians storming the NBA: Six rookies and sophomores primed for big years

We talk a lot about the golden age of Canadian hoops. But with so many Canadians making their way to the NBA in each and every year, it has become less like an "age" and more like a steady stream of Canadian hoopers creating a bigger footprint on the league.

A record-high 28 Canadians were on NBA training camp rosters this summer. And they exist everywhere on the spectrum of NBA stardom, from two-way players to NBA champions. We know about the very best Canadians, including Andrew Wiggins hoping to repeat in Golden State, Jamal Murray returning from almost two years on the shelf due to an ACL injury in Denver and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading a resurgent team in Oklahoma City.

But getting less attention are six Canadians aged 22 and younger who are set to make headlines in their first and second seasons in the league. Those are the four rookies selected in the 2022 NBA draft — Bennedict Mathurin, Shaedon Sharpe, Andrew Nembhard and Caleb Houstan — as well as two sophomores taken in 2021 — Joshua Primo and Toronto Raptors' Dalano Banton.

“I think this is a key moment in a lot of guys’ careers,” Raptors and Team Canada head coach Nick Nurse said. “You’ve been selected, you’re in and, now, can you kinda grab your place? I think there’s a lot of them working their way into that. There’s obviously some guys that are really shining bright in the preseason.”

As the NBA season gets set to tip off, we previewed the six Canadians rookies and sophomores primed to make a name for themselves this NBA season.

ROOKIES

Bennedict Mathurin

Mathurin has been arguably the best rookie in the NBA over the course of Summer League and preseason, averaging 19.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists over four preseason games for the Indiana Pacers. The No. 6 overall pick out of Montreal is an athletically gifted, highlight-making machine who uses his quick first step and overwhelming leaping ability to punish the rim. Plus, Mathurin does not shy away from contact, attacking the paint to the tune of 6.8 free-throw attempts in 23.5 minutes per game during the preseason while shooting 58 percent inside the arc.

“He has got a really great knack for a young player of finding the cracks in the defense and then being able to get in there and avoid charges, get contact and, in many cases, finish. It is a craft that a lot of players take years (to figure out),” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said about Mathurin. “Every once in a while, there is a young player that comes out of college whose game is much more suited to the NBA than college, and I think Benn might be one of those guys.”

Shaedon Sharpe

After redshirting his lone season at the University of Kentucky and basically not playing competitive basketball in two full years, Sharpe was nicknamed the “mystery man” of the 2022 draft. Still, his potential was so tantalizing that he was selected No. 7 to the Portland Trail Blazers. The London, Ont., native injured himself during the first game of Summer League, but has shown flashes of his athleticism and smooth shotmaking preseason, averaging 11.8 points and 2.6 rebounds along with 0.8 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. However, Sharpe is still raw, hitting just 21.4 percent of his threes and turning the ball over eight times to just three assists in five games.

“I think the talent is off the charts. When I watch him work out, everything is just easy for him,” Blazers superstar Damian Lillard said about Sharpe. “I really like his disposition. ... I think when you take the talent and how he is as a person, when it connects, I think he could make a huge difference for our team.”

Andrew Nembhard

Nembhard is as pure and steady of a point guard as they come, especially considering he is just 22 years old. The 31st overall pick out of Gonzaga who played with the Canadian national team, signed the biggest contract ever for a collegiate second-round pick, earning $6.4 million guaranteed in the first three years with the Pacers. That’s because the Aurora, Ont., native blew teams away in his pre-draft workouts and has continued his steady play in the preseason, avoiding mistakes as he picks apart the defense as an advanced pick-and-roll decision-maker, leading all rookies with 5.5 assists per game (to just 1.5 turnovers).

"The word that stands out for me is feel. (Nembhard) has just got an amazing feel for the game,” Carlisle said. “I love his size, love playmakers that can control the game, not only with their skill but with their mind.”

Caleb Houstan

Houstan was selected 32st overall by the Orlando Magic, a team that could desperately use a sharpshooter of Houstan’s caliber after shooting the third-worst rate from three in the league last season. The Mississauga, Ont., native has already lit it up from three early in his Magic tenure, shooting 38.9 percent on 3.6 attempts per game in preseason. At 6-foot-8 with a slight frame, Houstan has the size and length to shoot over most defenders, and if he becomes a consistent threat to knock down jumpers on the move, he will have a long career in the NBA, even if the defense and playmaking take some time to come along.

“I saw him play at Montverde for a couple years. He can shoot the lights out, very smart player, great size, he can really just do it all,” No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero said about Houstan. “I’m excited to get on the court with him.”

SOPHOMORES

Joshua Primo

Primo was the youngest player in the NBA last season after being selected 12th overall by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2021 NBA draft at age 18, in what was considered by many to be a big reach at the time. The 6-foot-6 combo guard from Mississauga, Ont., started the season in the G League before eventually earning a full-time promotion, when he broke out toward the end of the season, starting 12 of the Spurs' final 20 games and averaging 7.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists after the All-Star break. Primo continued to showcase his ability to break down defenders off the dribble and make good decisions with the ball in Summer League and preseason, when he averaged more than 15 points and three assists combined. Primo will have a chance to claim the Spurs starting point guard role after the team traded away Dejonte Murray in the offseason.

“Joshua has an uncanny maturity about him, (a) kind of a steady demeanor. He is not awed by the NBA or anything like that," Spurs head coach Greg Poppovich said.

Dalano Banton

Last but definitely not least, Banton has about as good of a summer as he could have hoped for as he aims to secure his spot in the rotation as the backup point guard the Raptors desperately need. The 46th overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft out of the Rexdale neighborhood of Toronto, Banton was up and down between the Raptors and the G League last season, struggling to cement a spot in the rotation by the time the playoffs rolled around. However, he was impressive as the No. 1 option on the Raptors’ Summer League team and for Team Canada at the FIBA AmeriCup, leading both teams in points, rebounds and assists, showing just how versatile the 6-foot-9 point guard is. It’s clear that all those reps have paid off and the game has slowed down for Banton, who averaged 11 points, 3.4 rebounds and two assists on 52.4 per cent shooting in just 16.5 minutes per game this preseason, appearing ready to play a real role this season.

“I definitely feel, confidence-wise, (a big difference),” Banton said of how he feels now compared to last season. “I feel like the guys out there are trusting in me to do what they believe I do well. … I just feel like a lot of live reps in the summer helped get me going and I’m going to continue running with it.”