This is a watershed moment for Canadian basketball. There are a record number of ballers from the North in the NBA right now — 16 players — and most of them are young players on the upswing of their careers, with a solid few already approaching stardom.
With more Canadians in the league to track than ever before, we decided to consult the experts. TSN’s basketball analysts — Josh Lewenberg, Kate Beirness, Kayla Grey and Michael Hamarneh — provided us with their top ten rankings.
Who takes the top spot in the rankings? Where does rookie standout RJ Barrett slot in?
In his fourth season in the NBA, Jamal Murray has quickly grown into fringe stardom. He’s averaging 18.9 points per game and is one of the go-to outside shooters on a loaded Denver Nuggets team.
Meanwhile, Thunder sophomore Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has already cemented his status as a potential future All-Star, becoming one of the key pieces returning to Oklahoma City in the Paul George trade this summer. Tristan Thompson, unlike the rest, is a well-seasoned NBA veteran, but he’s quietly having one of the best years of his career so far through the early season.
Barrett and Wiggins were close in voting, with the rook taking the edge due to his confident start in the NBA so far, but it is worth noting that Wiggins edges Shai to lead all Canadians in scoring so far this year.
Further down the list, we can note Grizzlies rookie Brandon Clarke (also off to a strong start in his career) as well as a pair of vets, Kelly Olynyk and Cory Joseph, rounding things out. Pelicans rookie Nickeil Alexander-Walker also received votes, despite going unranked.
We’ll continue to update this ranking as the season continues. With so many young players and so much potential for growth, there could definitely be shake-ups to come, and we’re looking forward to seeing how things unfold.
