OKC Thunder fail to play to defensive identity losing to Denver – 5 key takeaways
Big night for Murray as more Canadians surface:
In a bit of segue I thought I’d drop this in here. With Jamal Murray having a big night versus OKC the Canadian gets the kudos for top opponent. Murray is one of two Canadians on the Nuggets (Trey Lyles) and one of many in the NBA. There are 11 Canadians currently on varsity rosters with another two on two-way contracts.
That doesn’t include the youngster R.J. Barrett who is at Duke University and predicted to be selected among the top three draft picks this summer. His father Rowan Barrett Sr. is Executive Vice President and Assistant General Manager of Canada Basketball and best friend of Steve Nash (yes the former 2-time MVP Nash).
R.J. may have the most National team experience as he’s played on junior teams throughout his progression in the sport. RJ made a name for himself even prior to reaching Duke as you may have witnessed by his performance against Team USA in the FIBA Under 19 semi-final.
If the program successfully manages to land one of the twelve coveted slots in Tokyo, Japan, 2020 here’s a list of NBA players (plus Barret) who might comprise the Canadian team:
- Jamal Murray – PG/SG (Nuggets)
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander PG (Clippers)
- Cory Joseph PG (Pacers)
- Andrew Wiggins SG/SF (Timberwolves)
- Nik Stauskas SG/SF (Blazers)
- Dillon Brooks SF (Grizzlies)
- R.J. Barrett Jr. (Duke University)
- Tristan Thompson PF/C (Cavaliers)
- Kelly Olynyk PF/C (Heat)
- Trey Lyles PF (Nuggets)
- Dwight Powell C (Mavericks)
- Khem Birch C (Magic)
- Naz Mitrou-Long SG (Jazz – 2-way contract)
- Chris Boucher PF/C (Raptors – 2-way contract)
This is by no means an exhaustive list as there are numerous Canadians on International clubs who’ve been a part of the program.