OKC Thunder: Despite SGA absence Canada looks to make mark on world stage

This season was going splendidly for OKC Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He was putting up career-best results and had his team competing in games they were supposed to be losing.

In early February he began to sit out games as he dealt with plantar fasciitis. He missed six of eight games between February 3rd and 16th. Since that injury tends to heal with rest no doubt the hope was SGA would be good after some extended time off.  SGA returned to play 14 of 16 games from February 17th onward.

Yet, as Intentions noted prior the injury never improved and a short rest wasn’t helping it to heal. That led to shutting down Gilgeous-Alexander for the remainder of the season over a period of 29 consecutive games.

OKC Thunder guard Gilgeous-Alexander out, Dort will vie to make Team Canada

At season end, SGA stated he hoped to play with Team Canada who is vying to win one of four open Olympic berths in Toyko.

But in an Instagram message on Thursday SGA announced he will not be able to compete for Canada. The notable takeaway here is that SGA didn’t leave the door open in the slightest. He won’t attend the training camp in Tampa Bay (June 16th – 24th), or the play-in tournament in Victoria (June 29th to July 4th), or the Olympics if they successfully win a berth to Toyko.

I bring this up as a spot on the team would be his if he was able to participate even if it would be after the play-in tournament.

There was a bit of leeway given some players on the list are currently involved in the playoffs (Dillon Brooks, Dwight Powell, Brandon Clarke, RJ Barrett) could potentially be unavailable until late July (July 22nd) should they get to the NBA Finals.

However, Gilgeous-Alexander’s message is definitive…

That could mean SGA is being uber cautious or that the injury is indeed worse than initially suspected. Regardless, he’s out but teammate Luguentz Dort is still in the mix. In fact, he’ll have a great shot to make the squad since Nick Nurse’s primary focus is always defense.

The 21 players who’ll attend the Tampa Bay training camp feature a wealth of NBA talent. That group includes long-serving National Team members with representation in the NBA (Cory Joseph, Tristan Thompson, Kelly Olynyk) or playing professionally in Europe (Melvin Ejiim, Aaron Doornekamp).

This squad will have the most talented group ever with players like Andrew Wiggins returning after a long hiatus and young rising stars like OKC Thunder defensive stopper Lu Dort, SGA’s cousin Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Barrett, and Brooks.

Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse is also the Canadian National Team head coach. That’s why the training camp will be held in Tampa Bay where Nurse will be joined by Executive VP of Team Canada Rowan Barrett who also happens to be the father of Knicks player RJ Barrett.

They will have the unenviable job of reducing the 21 players down to 12 for the team that will compete at Victoria B.C. as one of the host countries to the four play-in tournaments that will determine the final four Olympic participants.

Five other countries attending Victoria are  Greece, China, Uruguay, Czech Republic, and Turkey. The other three host countries holding play-in tournaments are Croatia, Lithuania, and Serbia.

The last time Canada was a potential factor in an Olympic year, was in Sydney Australia, 2000. Steve Nash led a group to the best record in the B Bracket and but for a heartbreaking loss to Team France would’ve reached the medal round. Barrett (RJ’s Dad) was also on that squad.

More from Thunderous Intentions

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• 3 OKC Thunder players who can step up in Aleksej Pokusevski’s absence
• Aleksej Pokusevski sidelined approximately 6 weeks with ankle injury
• Damian Lillard does not fit with the OKC Thunder

Many of the current players are too young to remember that run but the lore of those games and that team is well steeped in history.  When Nash retired, it was memories from those games that many Canadian journalists recalled over his very storied NBA career. Like having to be helped off the court as he wept uncontrollably over the loss to France.

It’s disappointing Team Canada won’t have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Jamal Murray and likely Chris Boucher who is still dealing with a knee injury that occurred at season end. But there is a depth of talent in Canada that could make this team players on the international stage for years to come.

Much like Lu Dort came out of nowhere in the NBA he could be in a position to build his recognition internationally.  In fact, in the coming years, SGA and Dort could find themselves cemented on a starting unit that is determined to put Canadian basketball on the world stage.