As has become the norm, Canada will be well represented in the NBA this season.
In total, there will be 20 Canucks who start the 2020-21 campaign on NBA rosters. Perhaps even more will be coming, as there were some Canadians, such as Oshae Brissett and Simi Shittu, that were waived before making the final rosters but may find themselves back on NBA rosters as the season gets underway.
For the time being, however, the number of Canadian hoopers in the world’s greatest basketball league stands at 20.
With the NBA season kicking off Tuesday, we decided to take a quick look at each Canadian player. Here are 20 quick thoughts on all 20 Canadians.
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Tristan Thompson, Boston Celtics
It will be exciting to see Thompson play for a championship contender again. Though he’s battled injuries the past two seasons, when he’s been able to play he’s put together a pair of rock-solid campaigns. Coming in as the backup centre to Daniel Theis and being asked to just play defence and rebound the ball on a very good Celtics squad sounds like a great situation for him.
Nate Darling, Charlotte Hornets
One of the best shooters in college last season, Darling averaged 21 points per game on 39.9 per cent shooting from deep on over eight three-point attempts per game. Though he officially went undrafted, he was signed by Charlotte to a two-way deal on draft night itself. It’s unclear how much time he may see with the Hornets this season, but here’s hoping he gets his opportunity to prove he belongs at least.
Dwight Powell, Dallas Mavericks
Powell suffered a devastating Achilles injury way back in January, derailing what was turning out to be a career season for him. Thankfully, he’s recovered in time for the start of this season and while he hasn’t looked super sharp in pre-season, he’ll get his opportunity to recapture that old form as the starting centre with Kristaps Porzingis out for the Mavericks to start the season.
Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets
There should be no argument that Murray is the best Canadian basketball player in the world today and probably the best the country’s produced since Steve Nash. He took a step towards true-blue superstardom with his playoff heroics and his upward ascent should only continue this season.
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Mychal Mulder, Golden State Warriors
After impressing the Warriors during his 10-day-contract stint last season, Mulder was signed to a multi-year contract with Golden State and now will have to prove himself to earn a rotation spot and firmly establish himself as an NBA player who can stick around in the league for years to come. He’ll be in tough to do so given how crowded things are in the Warriors’ backcourt, but he’s beat the odds before to make it this far, so why count him out now?
Andrew Wiggins, Golden State Warriors
Could this finally be the year where we see the best of Wiggins? Playing a full season with the Warriors with a fully healthy Steph Curry and a healthier Draymond Green, he’ll be coming into a new season without the weight of expectations to take that next step and become the star he was supposed to be when he was drafted No. 1 overall in 2014. He’ll just be able to play, and that just might be the best thing that could ever happen to him.
Kelly Olynyk, Miami Heat
Olynyk held his own in the Finals when called upon to replace Bam Adebayo as Miami’s starting centre. He shot better than 40 per cent from three-point range last season and with the game trending towards the perimeter more and more each season, Olynyk’s talents will become more and more valuable. He’s slated to become an unrestricted free agent in the off-season and if he can put together another productive season he could be in for a sizeable payday.
Mfiondu Kabengele, Los Angeles Clippers
Unfortunately for Kabengele, who spent the majority of last season in the G League, with the additions of Serge Ibaka, Nicolas Batum and Patrick Patterson re-signing with the Clippers, he’s buried on the depth chart again this season and will probably spend most of his days with the Agua Caliente Clippers.
Dillon Brooks, Memphis Grizzlies
A key cog for the Grizzlies, Brooks has turned himself into an invaluable two-way piece as perhaps Memphis’s best pure scorer and perimeter defender. A season after breaking out for a 16.2 scoring average, expect bigger and better things for the Mississauga, Ont., native as a darkhorse Most Improved Player candidate.
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Brandon Clarke, Memphis Grizzlies
Clarke took most of the league by surprise last season as he earned an NBA All-Rookie First Team selection after a campaign that saw him average 12.1 points on remarkable 61.8 per cent shooting. He won’t sneak up on teams anymore in his sophomore season, but his high-energy style of play is such that he should still remain effective regardless where his name pops up on the scouting report.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker, New Orleans Pelicans
Alexander-Walker had a tepid rookie season mainly because of a lack of minutes and may be in for another quiet one this season with the addition of Eric Bledsoe being added to a crowded Pelicans backcourt. When he’s managed to get on the floor, Alexander-Walker’s shown he can play, but whether he really gets his shot this season is another question altogether.
R.J. Barrett, New York Knicks
After an inefficient rookie season, it looks like the talent everyone knows Barrett has may blossom in his sophomore campaign. He’s looked great in pre-season, using his herky-jerky dribble drive moves to attack the basket more aggressively and finish strong.
Ignas Brazdeikis, New York Knicks
Brazdeikis spent most of last season in the G League with the Westchester Knicks and based on how sparsely he’s been used in pre-season this might be another season spent primarily in the minor leagues.
Luguentz Dort, Oklahoma City Thunder
When we last saw Dort he was going for 30 points in Game 7 of a playoff series that also saw him get properly introduced to the greater basketball world as a man who effectively locked down James Harden. That’s a tough act to follow, but if Dort’s improbable story of going from undrafted to starring in the G League to starting for a playoff team and locking in a four-year, $5.4-million contract to boot all in the span of one season has taught us anything, he’s not a player to say things aren’t possible for.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder have begun their rebuild and by the looks of things for now, Gilgeous-Alexander is the key piece they’ll be looking to build around. This is an exciting proposition for the 22-year-old as it likely means he’s in for a monster season individually. However, you have to wonder, if the Thunder are going to lose as much as it looks like they want to, what might that do for Gilgeous-Alexander’s future development?
Khem Birch, Orlando Magic
Birch looks like he’s firmly established as the backup centre to Nikola Vucevic in Orlando to start the season. It took a little bit of time, but Birch has quietly become one of the best bigs Canada has ever produced.
Karim Mané, Orlando Magic
The best story from draft night was hearing word that Mané, a 20-year-old Montreal native, signed a two-way contract with the Magic, essentially going from playing high school hoops in Quebec straight to the NBA. Mané’s still raw and early in his development so he’ll almost assuredly spend nearly all of this season in the G League, but his story is an inspirational one and could figure to be a guiding light for others to follow in his footsteps.
Cory Joseph, Sacramento Kings
He’s a veteran whose main role on the Kings this season appears to act as a mentor to young rising star De’Aaron Fox and first-round draft pick Tyrese Haliburton. With Joseph making $12.6 million this season and his contract only partially guaranteed for next season there’s a thought that he might be traded this season. At least, if it would be a trade to a contender, that’s what we’d like to see. Joseph’s strengths as a player are wasted on a team like Sacramento with little to no hope of making the playoffs.
Trey Lyles, San Antonio Spurs
Lyles missed the bubble after undergoing an appendectomy but was back out there in pre-season, so it looks like he’ll be fine for the start of the season. Last season, his first with the Spurs, he had a few eye-popping games where he stuffed the stat sheet and was a consistent starter for San Antonio up until he was forced out with appendicitis. Here’s hoping for more of the same (and more) from Lyles this season.
Chris Boucher, Toronto Raptors
Boucher could be in for a career year this season. In pre-season it’s looked like head coach Nick Nurse has carved out a larger role for him and has promised the minutes that would need to go with this opportunity as well.
