USA Basketball Should Worry About Canada at the Summer Olympics

Players from Canada line up on the court for the playing of national anthems before an exhibition game against the United States ahead of the Paris Olympic Games at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada., on July 10, 2024. Ethan Miller/Getty Images

With a roster stocked with future hall of famers and all-stars, the USA is expected to win the gold medal in men’s basketball at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. With LeBron James, Steph Curry and (hopefully) Kevin Durant—three of the best offensive players of their generation—giving the coaches options and the ability to score the basketball in any number of ways.

However, the gold shouldn’t be assumed. More than ever, other countries in the field have bona fide NBA stars on their roster and hopes to compete for a medal.

One team that should give the USA some pause is our neighbors to the north. Canada has a roster filled with NBA players, has depth and star power and could present headaches in the medal round.

For Canada, this year’s roster is the best the country has ever sent to the Olympics. Canada’s men’s basketball team has appeared in nine Olympics and won a medal only once, taking silver in Berlin in 1936. They finished fourth in 1976 and 1984, making it 40 years since Canada played in a medal game.

The USA played Canada in a tune-up game in Las Vegas on July 10. The United States won that game 86–72, but it wasn’t pretty from either side. Clearly both teams were using the game for its intended purpose: figure out their roster and find some chemistry with two teams that looked like it could have been an NBA All-Star Game as much as a pre-Olympic exhibition.

RJ Barrett led Canada with 12 points in the game in Vegas, but expectations are that their Olympic effort will be led by Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA). SGA was the runner-up for the NBA MVP Award this past season after averaging 30.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and two steals per game. Many analysts made the case he should have won the award over Denver’s Nikola Jokić.

SGA and Barrett will be joined by Jamal Murray, who won a championship with Jokić in Denver. The three of them give Canada a formidable group of ball-handling and scoring options.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2, the star player of the Canadian team, drives against Anthony Davis #14 of the United States in the first half of their exhibition game ahead of the Paris Olympic Games at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada., on July 10, 2024. Ethan Miller/Getty Images

The Canadian roster isn’t limited to three NBA players, however. There are ten experienced NBA players representing the maple leaf in Paris.

Dillon Brooks, Dwight Powell, Trey Lyles, Andrew Nembhard, Kelly Olynyk, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Luguentz Dort have all appeared in NBA games.

Brooks made the NBA’s All-Defensive Second Team after the 2022–2023 season and has a volatile history with a few of the players on the USA roster. After six seasons in Memphis, Brooks moved to Houston this past season.

Olynyk is the longest-tenured veteran on the Canadian roster. He was drafted by the Mavericks 13th overall in 2013—when a few of his Olympic teammates were still in high school. He appeared in only 78 games this past season between Utah and Toronto and still averaged almost ten points per game.

Alexander-Walker shot a career-best 39.1 percent from three-point range and 23.4 minutes per game for Minnesota this past season. He appeared in all 82 regular-season games for the Timberwolves and 16 more in the playoffs. He showed very well against Durant and the Phoenix Suns in the first round of this year’s postseason, averaging 12.3 points and four rebounds per game.

Powell was drafted by the Celtics but moved to Dallas during his rookie season and has been with the Mavericks for the past ten seasons. He appeared in 13 games during this summer’s NBA playoffs as the Mavs advanced to the NBA Finals.

Lyles has been a journeyman power forward over his nine seasons in the NBA. He averaged seven points and four rebounds per game for the Kings this past season.

Nembhard is 25 but has only played two seasons in the NBA, both with Indiana. He averaged nine points and four assists per game in 68 appearances for the Pacers this past season. He can play both guard positions.

Dort has played five seasons with Oklahoma City and has experience running with SGA for the Thunder. He’s two years removed from averaging 17 points per game.

Canada has put together a collection of players who have the potential to beat just about anyone in this summer’s tournament. They’ll have a good test in their first game of the event, facing Milwaukee’s former NBA MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Greece on July 27.

Their second game will be a good barometer for their ability to medal in the games. Canada will face France on July 29. The host country’s roster is also filled with NBA players, including reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama and four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert.

If Canada can emerge from their first two games with wins, they could be on a path to a medal.

It’s been 88 years since Canada saw their flag raised at the conclusion of a men’s basketball tournament at the Olympics. The collection of NBA talent representing their country this summer could end that drought and make history.