Team Canada Basketball Thread

[Hair Canada]

Here are both rosters:

Team World:
Leandro Bolmaro (Argentina): 17 - 6'8" - SF/PF - Weber Bahia (LNB - Top Argentine League)
Josh Green (Australia): 17 - 6'6" - SF - Undeclared [ESPN 2019 #21]
Yago Mateus (Brazil): 19 - 5'10" - PG - Paulistano (NBB - Top Brazilian League)
Ignas Brazdeikis (Canada): 18 - 6'8" - SF - Michigan signee [ESPN 2018 4-Star Recuit]
RJ Barrett (Canada): 17 - 6'7" - SG/SF - Duke signee [ESPN 2018 #1]
Andrew Nembhard (Canada): 18 - 6'4" - PG - Florida signee [ESPN 2018 #30]
Kevin Zhang (China): 18 - 6'9" - PF - Undeclared [ESPN 2018 3-Star Recruit]
Jaylen Hoard (France): 19 - 6'8" - SF - Wake Forest signee [ESPN 2018 #20]
Bathiste Tchouaffé (France): 19 - 6'5" - SG - Nanterre 92 (LNB Pro A - Top French League)
N'Faly Dante (Mali): 16 - 7'0" - C - Undeclared [ESPN 2020 #9]
Charles Bassey (Nigeria): 17 - 6'10" - PF - Undeclared [ESPN 2019 #3]
Daniel Oturu (Nigeria): 18 - 6'10" - PF/C - Minnesota signee [ESPN 2018 #53]

Team USA:
Darius Bazley (Cincinnati, OH): 17 - 6'9" - PF - Uncommitted (G-League bound)
Bol Bol (Olathe, KS): 19 - 7'2" - C - Oregon signee [ESPN 2018 #4]
Jordan Brown (Rosewood, CA): 18 - 6'10" - PF/C - Undeclared [ESPN 2018 #27]
Darius Garland (Brentwood, TN): 18 - 6'2" - PG - Vanderbilt signee [ESPN 2018 #13]
Quentin Grimes (The Woodlands, TX): 17 - 6'4" - SG - Kansas signee [ESPN 2018 #8]
Tyler Herro (Greenfield, WI): 18 - 6'5" - SG - Kentucky signee [ESPN 2018 #25]
Keldon Johnson (Sterling,VA): 18 - 6'6" - SF/SG - Kentucky signee [ESPN 2018 #6]
Tre Jones (Apple Valley, MN): 18 - 6'2" - PG - Duke signee [ESPN 2018 #12]
Louis King (Columbus, NJ): 19 - 6'7" - SF - Oregon signee [ESPN 2018 #14]
Romeo Langford (New Albany, IN): 18 - 6'6" - SG/SF - Undeclared [ESPN 2018 #5]
David McCormack (Norfolk, VA): 18 - 6'10" - C - Kansas signee [ESPN 2018 #28]
Cam Reddish (Norristown, PA): 18 - 6'8" - SG/SF - Duke signee [ESPN 2018 #3]
Zion Williamson (Spartanburg, SC): 17 - 6'7" - SF/PF - Duke signee [ESPN 2018 #2]

The game is Friday, April 13th at 10pm EST on ESPN2
http://www.nikehoopsummit.com/


Looks like a fairly stacked USA roster. Does the world have much chance here? Not too familiar with many of these other guys.

Basically not a single top prospect from Europe attending. That team with Doncic, Dzanan Musa, Isaac Bonga, Doumbouya, Luka Samanic, Arnas Velicka, Goga Bitadze would obliterate Team USA imo. It's still a solid roster, but the US are clear favorites imo.

While you are right in principle, this game is not for players who are up for the draft this year (Doncic, Musa, Samanic Bitadze, etc.) Note that none of the Americans is over 18 and they're all pre-college. This is a high school game with high school players.

[Hair Canada]

HairCanada, at some point I'd love for you to break down the top 5 Canadians in NCAA D1 for each class (Freshman/Sophomore/etc) for 2019. Realized I know a lot about our upcoming Freshman class and this years returning Sophomores but don't much about whose hanging around as Junior/Seniors.

Maybe in a few months, when we are closer to the college season, I'll write about the leading returning players and incomers for what promises to be the best Canadian NCAA cohort. In the meantime, I could note that the Sophomores are indeed the most promising among those who are already in college and that there are fairly few noteworthy Canadian talents among those who are going to be Juniors and Seniors (especially now that Jackson has declared for the draft and McEwen is not likely to be playing next year).

[peZt]

Here are both rosters:

Team World:
Leandro Bolmaro (Argentina): 17 - 6'8" - SF/PF - Weber Bahia (LNB - Top Argentine League)
Josh Green (Australia): 17 - 6'6" - SF - Undeclared [ESPN 2019 #21]
Yago Mateus (Brazil): 19 - 5'10" - PG - Paulistano (NBB - Top Brazilian League)
Ignas Brazdeikis (Canada): 18 - 6'8" - SF - Michigan signee [ESPN 2018 4-Star Recuit]
RJ Barrett (Canada): 17 - 6'7" - SG/SF - Duke signee [ESPN 2018 #1]
Andrew Nembhard (Canada): 18 - 6'4" - PG - Florida signee [ESPN 2018 #30]
Kevin Zhang (China): 18 - 6'9" - PF - Undeclared [ESPN 2018 3-Star Recruit]
Jaylen Hoard (France): 19 - 6'8" - SF - Wake Forest signee [ESPN 2018 #20]
Bathiste Tchouaffé (France): 19 - 6'5" - SG - Nanterre 92 (LNB Pro A - Top French League)
N'Faly Dante (Mali): 16 - 7'0" - C - Undeclared [ESPN 2020 #9]
Charles Bassey (Nigeria): 17 - 6'10" - PF - Undeclared [ESPN 2019 #3]
Daniel Oturu (Nigeria): 18 - 6'10" - PF/C - Minnesota signee [ESPN 2018 #53]

Team USA:
Darius Bazley (Cincinnati, OH): 17 - 6'9" - PF - Uncommitted (G-League bound)
Bol Bol (Olathe, KS): 19 - 7'2" - C - Oregon signee [ESPN 2018 #4]
Jordan Brown (Rosewood, CA): 18 - 6'10" - PF/C - Undeclared [ESPN 2018 #27]
Darius Garland (Brentwood, TN): 18 - 6'2" - PG - Vanderbilt signee [ESPN 2018 #13]
Quentin Grimes (The Woodlands, TX): 17 - 6'4" - SG - Kansas signee [ESPN 2018 #8]
Tyler Herro (Greenfield, WI): 18 - 6'5" - SG - Kentucky signee [ESPN 2018 #25]
Keldon Johnson (Sterling,VA): 18 - 6'6" - SF/SG - Kentucky signee [ESPN 2018 #6]
Tre Jones (Apple Valley, MN): 18 - 6'2" - PG - Duke signee [ESPN 2018 #12]
Louis King (Columbus, NJ): 19 - 6'7" - SF - Oregon signee [ESPN 2018 #14]
Romeo Langford (New Albany, IN): 18 - 6'6" - SG/SF - Undeclared [ESPN 2018 #5]
David McCormack (Norfolk, VA): 18 - 6'10" - C - Kansas signee [ESPN 2018 #28]
Cam Reddish (Norristown, PA): 18 - 6'8" - SG/SF - Duke signee [ESPN 2018 #3]
Zion Williamson (Spartanburg, SC): 17 - 6'7" - SF/PF - Duke signee [ESPN 2018 #2]

The game is Friday, April 13th at 10pm EST on ESPN2
http://www.nikehoopsummit.com/


Looks like a fairly stacked USA roster. Does the world have much chance here? Not too familiar with many of these other guys.

Basically not a single top prospect from Europe attending. That team with Doncic, Dzanan Musa, Isaac Bonga, Doumbouya, Luka Samanic, Arnas Velicka, Goga Bitadze would obliterate Team USA imo. It's still a solid roster, but the US are clear favorites imo.

While you are right in principle, this game is not for players who are up for the draft this year (Doncic, Musa, Samanic Bitadze, etc.) Note that none of the Americans is over 18 and they're all pre-college. This is a high school game with high school players.

All the guys I mentioned are 1999 or 2000 born, like the american players. They're not older.
This game always used to be U19 with lots of players having their break out performances right before being drafted like Schröder, Livio Charles, Biyombo etc. But in recent years they've decided to focus mostly on High School players for some reason

Guys like Reddish, Bol Bol, Langford all would be draft eligible this year if they played in Europe, just like Doncic, Musa etc.

[frumble]

SGA 12th (LAC) on ESPN/DraftExpress's mock draft from this morning.

From Givony:

The Clippers could very well be looking at point guard as a position in need of supplementing, and the size, length and versatility of Gilgeous-Alexander could be very attractive, considering the type of lineup flexibility he brings.

He is 6-foot-6 with a 7-foot wingspan, highly instinctual defensively and he brings the unselfishness needed to operate alongside a variety of guards, making him an easy player to slot in alongside virtually any type of running mate. His offense made significant strides as the season moved on, helping him surprisingly emerge as arguably Kentucky’s best top long-term prospect.

https://www.aseaofblue.com/2018/4/9/17215208/nba-mock-draft-2018-espn-projects-all-60-picks

[Hair Canada]

SGA 12th (LAC) on ESPN/DraftExpress's mock draft from this morning.

From Givony:

The Clippers could very well be looking at point guard as a position in need of supplementing, and the size, length and versatility of Gilgeous-Alexander could be very attractive, considering the type of lineup flexibility he brings.

He is 6-foot-6 with a 7-foot wingspan, highly instinctual defensively and he brings the unselfishness needed to operate alongside a variety of guards, making him an easy player to slot in alongside virtually any type of running mate. His offense made significant strides as the season moved on, helping him surprisingly emerge as arguably Kentucky’s best top long-term prospect.

https://www.aseaofblue.com/2018/4/9/17215208/nba-mock-draft-2018-espn-projects-all-60-picks

They are also projecting Jackson at 38. McIntosh is out of this one.

[RaptorsLife]

Read on Twitter

[TooBad]

I have no idea who the best Canadian is at the moment between Brooks/Murray/Olynyk/Wiggins/Powell but Brooks has been looking like the best recently.

Watch on YouTube

[mojo13]

I have no idea who the best Canadian is at the moment between Brooks/Murray/Olynyk/Wiggins/Powell but Brooks has been looking like the best recently.

Brooks has been great recently, but he has been given the green light on a horrible team that has been tanking for a while. He looked like the only Grizz that cared tonight (good for him). Love his fire but I still think the debate is between Olynyk/Murray/Wiggins. Olynyk is subtlety key to this Heat team as he does so many things for them (and to any Canadian team as well). Murray is the inconsistent riser and Wiggins we all seem to be questioning (despite the talent).

[Crazy-Canuck]

Watch on YouTube

wiggs with the clutch fts to ice the game to send the wolves to their first playoffs in 14 years. Unfortunately, that also eliminated another Canadian; Murray.

wiggs with 18-5-3 on 9 shots while playing excellent defense.

murray with 20-6-6 on 18 shots while showing some big play abilities.

[frumble]

Final 2017-18 PER for Canadians:

Powell 18.8 (career high)
Lyles 17.9 (career high)
Olynyk 17.8 (career high)
Birch 16.4
Murray 16.1 (career high)

Thompson 13.6 (lowest since rookie season)
Wiggins 13.0 (career low)
Ennis 11.1
Joseph 10.9
Brooks 9.8

Stauskas 9.0

Not enough minutes for XRM, Long, or Boucher to make their data meaningful.
(arguably the same could be said for Birch, Ennis, and Stauskas, with only about 500 minutes each).

[TooBad]

I have no idea who the best Canadian is at the moment between Brooks/Murray/Olynyk/Wiggins/Powell but Brooks has been looking like the best recently.

Brooks has been great recently, but he has been given the green light on a horrible team that has been tanking for a while. He looked like the only Grizz that cared tonight (good for him). Love his fire but I still think the debate is between Olynyk/Murray/Wiggins. Olynyk is subtlety key to this Heat team as he does so many things for them (and to any Canadian team as well). Murray is the inconsistent riser and Wiggins we all seem to be questioning (despite the talent).

If I was a contender and I could add any Canadian to my team Olynyk would definitely be my first pick.

[aminiaturebuddha]

Fun Nike Hoop Summit going on right now - the World Team leads by 3 at the half. Barrett is killing it so far, as expected, and getting good help from guys like Bassey and Nembhard.

[Hair Canada]

Canadians in the NBA -- 2017-18 season summary. Part 1 of 3:

viewtopic.php?f=32&t=1697691

[mojo13]

Great read as always.
Hopefully it doesn’t get too buried with the playoffs overshadowing everything.

[Hair Canada]

Great read as always.
Hopefully it doesn’t get too buried with the playoffs overshadowing everything.

Thanks Mojo. Here are the links to all three posts for those interested (and in case this IS quickly burried):

Murray and Brooks:

viewtopic.php?f=32&t=1697691

The Bigs:

viewtopic.php?f=32&t=1697831

The underperformers

viewtopic.php?f=32&t=1697919

[TooBad]

Dort needs to start getting some recognition on this thread. He is damn good and play hungry and yet I rarely see anyone talk about him. He won MVP for Bio Steel 2 years in a row.

Watch on YouTube

[Hair Canada]

Dort needs to start getting some recognition on this thread. He is damn good and play hungry and yet I rarely see anyone talk about him. He won MVP for Bio Steel 2 years in a row.

Watch on YouTube

Agreed. Although I think I did talk about him a couple of times.

I really like his game and project that he's going to be very good next year at Arizona State. Lu had a very good season this year. Got to see many of his games, and he was always the best player on the court at AI. Was particularly great in the OSBA playoffs, where he scored more than 40 points a game and really carried an injured team on his (very broad) shoulders. Scored at will, shot the ball well, and was the focal point on defense (including some highlight blocks and a nose for stealing the ball).

What I especially like about him is that he's tenacious, and plays hard on both ends of the floor. Beyond being a natural scorer, he's also a willing and good passer (especially to bigs), though not a natural PG. His three-point shot, which was a weakness, has really improved this year (and so did his free throws) and he's been knocking them down quite consistently, with a nice high arc. Not much of a jump shot on his release though (his shot is somewhere between a set shot and a jump shot), so he might find it a bit hard to get clean looks at the next level.

As for the weaker points of his game, his handle is not bad but will need to improve some more in order to be able to get to the basket like he does now and he's a bit turnover prone. He also lacks a degree of creativeness around the basket. At the high school level, he doesn't really need much of it, as he just takes his defenders (sometimes two of them) with him to the basket and no one can put a body on him. But in college, and especially in the NBA (I think he'll get there), when he meets players who can match his ridiculous physicality, he'll have to get more creative and savvy. Also, he's a very good athlete, but not freakish and not that fast in NBA terms, so I do think he'll have to find other ways to get to his spots and finish.

All in all, as I said, I really love his competitive spirit. I think his best NBA comparison is Marcus Smart. In college, he reminds me of Arizona's Rawle Alkins, but Dort is even stronger. And he also gets extra points in my book for being from Montreal

[mojo13]

Round up of Canadian pros last week.
http://www.usbasket.com/Canada/news/530025/Dillon-Brooks'-36-points-make-him-top-Canadian-player-abroad-of-the-week

Of note:

Kenny Chery continues to play quite well as a starting PG in the Spanish ACB. Leading a .500 type club.
I expect he has shown enough to move up to a better team. He has never really been on my radar too much - but it seems he is turning into a pretty solid pro. Got to keep in mind - he is performing at a similar level to Carl English a decade ago. Interesting that a guy this deep for Canada is near equivalent to one of our best players a decade ago (yes this comment is highly debatable, but you see my point).

Phil Scrubb is back looking quite good despite missing two months with injury in Dec/Jan. He is once again scoring at an elite level in the BBL - leading the league in scoring in fact. He should see an nice upgrade in league/team/paygrade for next year (assuming he is a FA).

Aaron Doornekamp seems to be playing better against mid grade ACB teams after struggling with the step-up against EuroLeague teams.

Melvin Ejim has had a fairly quiet year statistically so far. He didn't step up too far in competition (the VTB isnt much better than the Italian Series-A) so it seems more role, fit with current team.

Kevin Pangos v Kyle Witler square off starting tomorrow in the first round of the EruoLeague playouffs. Best of five Olympiacos v Zalgiris. He is a great preview with lots on Pangos.
http://euroleagueadventures.com/playoff-preview-olympiacos-vs-zalgiris-kaunas/

[Hair Canada]

Round up of Canadian pros last week.
http://www.usbasket.com/Canada/news/530025/Dillon-Brooks'-36-points-make-him-top-Canadian-player-abroad-of-the-week

Of note:

Kenny Chery continues to play quite well as a starting PG in the Spanish ACB. Leading a .500 type club.
I expect he has shown enough to move up to a better team. He has never really been on my radar too much - but it seems he is turning into a pretty solid pro. Got to keep in mind - he is performing at a similar level to Carl English a decade ago. Interesting that a guy this deep for Canada is near equivalent to one of our best players a decade ago (yes this comment is highly debatable, but you see my point).

Phil Scrubb is back looking quite good despite missing two months with injury in Dec/Jan. He is once again scoring at an elite level in the BBL - leading the league in scoring in fact. He should see an nice upgrade in league/team/paygrade for next year (assuming he is a FA).

Aaron Doornekamp seems to be playing better against mid grade ACB teams after struggling with the step-up against EuroLeague teams.

Melvin Ejim has had a fairly quiet year statistically so far. He didn't step up too far in competition (the VTB isnt much better than the Italian Series-A) so it seems more role, fit with current team.

Kevin Pangos v Kyle Witler square off starting tomorrow in the first round of the EruoLeague playouffs. Best of five Olympiacos v Zalgiris. He is a great preview with lots on Pangos.
http://euroleagueadventures.com/playoff-preview-olympiacos-vs-zalgiris-kaunas/

Thanks for the useful review mojo. Nice to see the Scrubb brothers doing well. I think that with their great international experience and familiarity with FIBA rules, Ejim and the brothers should have a spot on almost any team we put up, along with the NBA guys.

[Hair Canada]

Speaking of Dort, Rivals released their final 150 ranking for the class of 2018. Overall, this is considered by many NBA scouts as a weaker class (certainly compared to the one that is up for the 2017 draft). But it's becoming quite clear that it's going to be the strongest Canadian class EVER.

The Rivals ranking doesn't include Dort and Iggy, as they only rank those who played in a US high schools. Still, six Canadians are among the top 150 (five in the top 100):

#1 Barrett. He's coming off an MVP performance at the Nike Hoop Summit, where he led the World team to a win over the US team. Rivals claim they had a tough time deciding between him and Nassir Little, who is the new "it" thing in this class (won MVP at both the McDonald's All American and the Jordan Brand Classic, where Barrett didn't play). Personally, I don't think it's that close given everything that Barrett has shown.

#7 Simi. Interesting ranking, given his injury and the chances that he's not going to return 100%. Simi is young and ACL injuries are not what they used to be 20 years ago, but there's still a risk that athleticism and strength are going to suffer, at least short-term and these are critical features in Simi's game.

#17 Nembhard. Quite a high ranking for him (higher than where I'd put him). Love his game (intelligence, composure, defensive instincts and tenacity, and of course passing) but I still think his long-term potential is somewhat more limited. Hope I'm wrong and they're right.

#77 Dalano Banton. The first time they're putting him in the top 150. Glad to see scouts are finally starting to recognize his talent. I said it before and will repeat -- I think he has NBA potential. Love his length and the smoothness and confidence in his game. Reminds me of SGA. Just take a look at this footage from the BioSteel game (which he only was added to last minute because of some injuries. That's how under-the-radar he still is):

https://youtu.be/SlLwlK9Syeo

#94 Jaelin Llewellyn. I'm also quite high on him. Reminds me of Lindell Wigginton. Less powerful, but just as athletic and a better PG.

#119 -- Noah Kirkwood. I agree with this ranking (I saw him somewhere as a top-60, but don't think he is). Nice height and skills, but limited physically (average athlete and short wingspan) and doesn't have anything that makes him a clear-cut NBA potential for me. Again, hope I'm wrong.

Beyond these, there are, as I said, Dort and Brazdeikis. While both are not ranked, it's clear that both would be top-100 players, even top-50. Rivals rank Iggy as a 5-star, which would put him somewhere in the top-30 if he was eligible for the ranking. And Dort they consider a 4-star, but I think he's also up there.