Team Canada Basketball Thread V2.0

[mojo13]

Dylan Ennis announced he was released from Jamaica and in the player pool for Canada.
That's good news as he has been playing quite well in the ACB for Andorra.

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It has me thinking how well we could do with a fully non-NBA team in the WC. Just to roster-bate a bit...

Tyler Ennis
Kevin Pangos
Phil Scrubb
XRM
Dylan Ennis
Tommy Scrubb
Aaron Doornekamp
Melvin Ejim
Andrew Nicholson
Anthony Bennett
Kyle Wiltjer
Joel Anthony

Might need a little more size up front, but that would not be a bad team.
Not to mention Aaron Best, Kaza Keane, Trae Bell Haynes, Dyshawn Pierre, Kassius Robertson, Daniel Mullings

[mojo13]

Another great read on Brandon Clarke from The Stepien. They are extremely bullish on him, this writer in particular. But he makes a great case.
https://www.thestepien.com/2019/01/18/draft-notes-easy-case-brandon-clarke/


I'm honestly sold that he is the 2nd best Canadian prospect currently in the NCAA. I'm drinking enough kool-aid to think has an outside shot at being a better pro than RJ Barrett.

[SharoneWright]

Another great read on Brandon Clarke from The Stepien. They are extremely bullish on him, this writer in particular. But he makes a great case.
https://www.thestepien.com/2019/01/18/draft-notes-easy-case-brandon-clarke/


I'm honestly sold that he is the 2nd best Canadian prospect currently in the NCAA. I'm drinking enough kool-aid to think has an outside shot at being a better pro than RJ Barrett.

strong article. thanks for the link.

[Hair Canada]

Another great read on Brandon Clarke from The Stepien. They are extremely bullish on him, this writer in particular. But he makes a great case.
https://www.thestepien.com/2019/01/18/draft-notes-easy-case-brandon-clarke/


I'm honestly sold that he is the 2nd best Canadian prospect currently in the NCAA. I'm drinking enough kool-aid to think has an outside shot at being a better pro than RJ Barrett.

Great article. I really like how detailed the Stepien is. And I have to say with every game that I watch Clarke I'm more sold on him and found myself nodding on many of the things that Rubin is saying. He's just such a + player that you just can't dislike him.

One thing that was curious is that they didn't mention his free throw shooting. Because 65% is actually not a good number and might not seem like a positive predictor for 3-point shooting. But here's the thing about his free throws: I think it's actually better than this number and will come up with more repetition and bigger numbers of shots. He just seems to shoot an easy ball and when he makes them they are usually swooshes. Plus, his release is quick and seems effortless, which I think bodes well for in-game shooting with confidence and repetition. So I think I actually agree with the bottom line: There's a good chance that he'll be able to shoot in the NBA. And if that's the case, then yes, I think there's actually a chance that he becomes more valuable than RJ (I would still pick RJ before him at this point though, especially for struggling teams).

Now, I just hope that basketball Canada already started working on sealing Clarke for our national team. Because if he ends up a Milsap/Green/Marion, there's a fair chance the US will want him for their team...

[SharoneWright]

Rough.
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore?gameId=401082460

[frumble]

Rough.
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore?gameId=401082460

Yeah, it was a pretty bad day for Brazdeikis.

On the other hand, Haley was the hero (and had a solid game overall) in WV's upset of Kansas, and Wigginton had a decent shooting day for Iowa State (perhaps his best game since returning from injury).

Mojo,
Thanks for the info re Dylan Ennis. May come in handy for future qualifying.

Hair Canada,
Any update on our high school guys? E.g., anyone emerging as a top prospect in the Classes of 19 or 20?

Thanks.

[mojo13]

I pretty much forgot about Haley and didn’t know he was going to be eligible this season. He sure has bounced around, but great to see him grab a starting role a a big program and have a prominent role in a big win.


I am starting to see another Canadian HS focused scout on twitter quite often. Wes Brown. He seems a little more down to earth and realistic than the NPH guys.

Here are his current rankings.
https://nbaprospects.com/canadian-rankings/


I wish he did a combined ncaa ranking instead of by class so I had something to pick at.

[Hair Canada]

Rough.
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore?gameId=401082460

Yeah, it was a pretty bad day for Brazdeikis.

On the other hand, Haley was the hero (and had a solid game overall) in WV's upset of Kansas, and Wigginton had a decent shooting day for Iowa State (perhaps his best game since returning from injury).

Mojo,
Thanks for the info re Dylan Ennis. May come in handy for future qualifying.

Hair Canada,
Any update on our high school guys? E.g., anyone emerging as a top prospect in the Classes of 19 or 20?

Thanks.

For Iggy, I'm a bit disappointed by the treatment he gets from Beilein. He often seems to be the first of the starting 5 to go out, which seems to me to hurt his rhythm. The other day he also didn't come back in the second half despite a very decent game. He's a very good defender and as their leading or second-leading scorer, should get more credit. Perhaps Beilein wants to try and keep him another year in Ann Arbor.

As for high school, the class of 2019, after the reclassing of Barrett, Nembhard and Lawson (each would be a clear #1 if they were still around) is one of the weaker ones in recent years. The best player, and probably the only one with a chance to reach the NBA is Quincy Guerrier from QC, who actually just graduated, but will start playing college ball next season at Syracuse. But he's a prospect that I've never liked too much to be honest. He has very good size (about 6'8 at the SF) and is a good scorer. But there's something lacking there with game IQ and sometimes also competitive spirit. And he's quite old -- the age of Iggy and Dort, who themselves are quite old for the 2018 class... Others like Eman Miller (love his spirit and hustle, but his talent is limited -- something like Kigab) or Samuel (great talent and physical tools, but a very problematic attitude to the game) are not NBA prospects I think.

2020 has two guys that are clearly above the pack for me -- Addison Patterson and Matthew Alexander Moncrieff. Patterson is an NBA talent, although I wrote before about the big holes in his game (shooting; defense; thin upper body). Moncrieff is still green, but has upper-level potential in terms of his athleticism and size. But he still has a lot to work on to be considered a draft prospect. Both are considering, as far as I know, to re-class to 2019. If they do, they become the numbers 1 and 2 for me. But then 2020 remains very weak.

In any case, I wrote before that I think our 2019-2021 are not as strong as 2017-2018. I have high hopes for 2022 and especially 2023, but it's still way too early to say with any confidence.

[TrueNorth31]

Perhaps good news on the Dillon Brooks injury front according to Grange.

Apparently will be out for the next four months then healthy. That gives him 3 months to get ready for Team Canada's camp starting in mid August. I imagine Canada Basketball and hopefully Brooks will try to sell Memphis on the fact he will benefit from significant reps by playing for Canada after missing so much of the NBA season.

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[mojo13]

Hope you are right on Brooks. I think we’d all love to see him on the WC squad.


On the injury front it seems Justin Jackson ended up tearing his Achilles’ tendon. I couldn’t find out was the injury was last week when it was announced he was done for the season but a local Lakeland reporter mentioned the Achilles on Twitter . That is an awful injury and he has had enough injury problems already.

[Hair Canada]

Hope you are right on Brooks. I think we’d all love to see him on the WC squad.


On the injury front it seems Justin Jackson ended up tearing his Achilles’ tendon. I couldn’t find out was the injury was last week when it was announced he was done for the season but a local Lakeland reporter mentioned the Achilles on Twitter . That is an awful injury and he has had enough injury problems already.

Seems like this might be it for JJs NBA dreams. I still remember him as a 15 yo being marketed as the next Magic Johnson. Really too bad for him about the injury, although he also didn't quite develop the way you'd hope basketball-wise.

[SharoneWright]

Wigginton so scared tonight.

[mojo13]

Wigginton so scared tonight.

I didn't really see scared. I don't think he is that type. He looked like he was really pressing...anxious to make an impression in front all the scouts in the crowd. But he is just not there yet - not the player he was last year, and there is way more talent around him this year. He should take a load of blame for losing that game and did himself a huge disservice, especially after the last game being his best of the year.

Like Brissett, I'm not seeing a draft pick this year in Wigginton and he is off my draft board (if I had one). Unfortunately Brazdeikis, Dort and Shittu continue to drop with conference play as well. At least Shayok is continuing to impress. NAW and Clarke seem to getting better and better as well.

Kabengele seems to be getting better as the season goes on as well, often FSUs best player on the floor despite coming off the bench. But I am not sure he is fully on NBA radars yet (or is he?) He seems to be a better NBA prospect than Wigginton and Brissett now. He is a fun one to watch as he wasn't much on my radar until this season. Did he ever play for Canada in the U16-19s? Or just not good enough at that time?

[Hair Canada]

Wiggy is indeed having a hard time coming back. But for me, there is a silver lining. With his size (6'2 with a 6'4 wingspan), to be an NBA player, he needs to be able to play at the PG position. Last year (and any time I've seen him at that position before) he was quite horrible there, posting more TOs than assists. But overall from what I've seen this year he's improved his decision making and passing quite a bit and he takes less erratic hard-pressed shots. Even yesterday, which clearly wasn't his day, he made some beautiful passes (some wasted by the very mediocre Iowa State frontcourt) and in general, I'm more optimistic about him in that department than I was before. I agree that right now he's off the radar draft, and that's fine. Hopefully, he can either finish this year strong or come back next year with renewed confidence and shot-making. If he can get back to around 40% from 3, as he did last year, that would open penetration and passing lanes for him.

Kabengele indeed continues to give good performances and looks like a fairly good scorer, with a bit of a scorer mentality even. I think I said before that I'm a bit worried about his ability to stay with the P&R at the NBA and he also hasn't made a real step forward this year in terms of shot blocking. His outside shooting has also not shown signs of improvement (less than 30% from 3 this year). The importance of these skills for an NBA big these days cannot be overstated. But if he can continue scoring the way he did the last couple of days, all that might not matter and someone will take a chance on him. As for your questions mojo, no he didn't play in any of the young Canadian teams. He's a real late bloomer, who also shot up in height at the end of his high school, so he really wasn't good enough at the time to be considered for one of the U16 to U19 teams.

[Hair Canada]

Speaking of Kabengele, another good game yesterday, with 17 points in a Florida State win. And yes, he's also starting to be recognized on draft boards. ESPN coming out today with their 2020 prediction:

26. AJ Lawson
29. Kabengele
38. Iggy (a bit low I would think)
54. Wiggy

[aminiaturebuddha]

Speaking of Kabengele, another good game yesterday, with 17 points in a Florida State win. And yes, he's also starting to be recognized on draft boards. ESPN coming out today with their 2020 prediction:

26. AJ Lawson
29. Kabengele
38. Iggy (a bit low I would think)
54. Wiggy

I've been a supporter of Kabengele for a while, and while I have definitely seen some of the weaknesses that you have, Hair, he also seems to be steadily improving in most aspects of the game. Defensive awareness is one thing that's very hard to gauge. I just hope he can continue to be coached up on that front. As for his outside shooting, it might never become a strength, but I think his shot mechanics look decent enough that I don't think it'll hold him back long term.

Lawson is an interesting case. I've seen some games this year where he looks fantastic, as a big and versatile guard who could be very useful in today's NBA, but then other games where he looks completely lost, and every bit the re-classified freshman he is. I really hope he doesn't continue to move up draft boards, because I think he's one player who could really use at least another year in the NCAA.

[TrueNorth31]

Thanks for the information on Jackson Mojo. I feel really bad for the kid with his string of unfortunate injuries. He probably in retrospect should have turned pro after his freshman year in terms of financial security.

Here's a nice story on Jamal Murray - certainly a different mind set than Wiggins it appears. I've heard Basketball Canada types speak very highly of him . Let's hope he gets an early extension from Denver.

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/25823688/how-jamal-murray-was-raised-become-star

[SharoneWright]

Weird story if you ask me. Murray's dad seems controlling and obsessive, to say the least. Hopefully Jamal can break free while keeping a good relationship with dad. Family is always important, but there comes a time when you gotta let the kid go.

[mojo13]

Going to keep banging this drum.

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And this one too!!

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[JABRoy]

Predicting Canada Men’s National Basketball Team for:
2019 World Cup (QUALIFIED)
2020 Olympic Men’s Tournament (Potentially)

For your reminder these are the best Canadian players in the World:

(NBA&GLEAGUE Players)
Starting Five:
J.Murray ‘97 NBA
S.Alexander ‘98 NBA
A.Wiggins ‘95 NBA
T.Lyles ‘95 NBA
T.Thompson ‘91 NBA
Bench 1^
C.Joseph ‘91 NBA
N.Stauskas ‘93 NBA
D.Brooks ‘96 NBA
D.Powell ‘91 NBA
K.Olynik ‘91 NBA
K.Birch ‘92 NBA
Bench 2^
N. Mitrou Long ‘93 2-WAY
X. Rathan Mayes ‘94 GLEAGUE
J. Jackson ‘97 GLEAGUE
A. Bennett ‘93 GLEAGUE
C. Boucher ‘93 2-WAY
J. Anthony ‘82 GLEAGUE

(EUROLEAGUE(EL)&EUROCUP(EC) Players)
T. Ennis ‘94 EL *long term injury
K. Pangos ‘93 EL
M. Ejim ‘91 EC
K. Wijlter ‘92 EL

(OTHERS[\b])
A. Nicholson ‘89 CHINA
R. Sacre ‘89 JAPANESE

([b]NCAA Players...incoming!!!)
This year there are 133 canadian players in division one!!! These are the best (*** first round pick potential):
G. Boahen ‘97 PG
S. Smith ‘99 PH
A. Nembhard ‘00 PG ***
M. Ottey ‘97 G
L. Wigginton ‘98 G
S. Stevenson ‘98 G
Rj Barrett ‘00 G ***
L. Dort ‘99 G ***
N. Alexander-Walker ‘98 G ***
Aj Lawson ‘00 F ***
E. Akot ‘99 F
M. Shayok ‘95 F
N. Kirkwood ‘99 F
I. Brazdeikis ‘99 F/PF ***
O. Brissett ‘98 F/PF ***
D. Djurick ‘99 F/PF
M. Kabengele ‘97 PF/C ***
S. Shittu ‘99 PF/C ***
K. Alexander ‘96 PF/C
B. Clarke ‘96 PF/C
A. Bamba ‘98 PF/C
P. Oduro ‘98 PF/C
J. Tshimanga ‘96 C