Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the key to Canada's basketball renaissance

MIAMI (United States) - Much has been written about the expectations looming over the Canadian basketball national team and when exactly this golden generation of sorts will finally get their proverbial day in the sun.

With a dramatic and seemingly endless influx of players into the NBA, the program has enough talent to field a roster entirely made up of guys playing in the league. Four of them started for Nick Nurse’s squad in Fridays emphatic victory of the Dominican Republican and one of them, possibly the best all, stole the show.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander donned the red and white for the first time since he was 17 years old and completely balled out, exploding for 32 points to help Canada improve to 5-0 in Group C play.

His presence on the court redefines Canada’s ceiling, turning them into a virtual lock to qualify to the 2023 FIBA World Cup and one of the favorites to win finish atop the 2023 FIBA World Cup America Qualifiers.

 Gilgeous-Alexander did it all on Friday, to the delight of the crowd at the First Ontario Centre in Hamilton.

The Oklahoma City Thunder guard was in his bag, mixing a healthy dose of floaters, layups and dunks and impressing with his handle and athleticism.

He even showed a much-improved pull-up jumper, going 5/10 from beyond the arc – an encouraging sign after shooting a career-low 30.0 percent from downtown during the 2021-22 season.

 The Toronto native dominated all facets of the game. He pulled down five rebounds, dished five assists and notched three steals and a pair of blocks. He even took a charge in Canada’s 20-point victory.

The game also doubled as a very special occasion for the Alexander family, as Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Shai’s cousin, also started and dropped 17 points on 5/7 from downtown.

“There was a little bit of rust to it, but just playing off each other and ultimately playing the game, playing to win turned out to be fun,” said Alexander-Walker.

The disappointment of not being able to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is still fresh in the players’ minds.

After the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the tournament to the summer of 2021, a bout of plantar fasciitis kept Gilgeous-Alexander from participating in the Men’s Qualifying Tournament in Victoria, where team Canada lost in overtime, 103-101 to the Czech Republic – denying them a spot in Japan and the opportunity to vie for an Olympic medal.

Injuries reared their ugly heads again in 2022 as the 23-year-old got shut down in late March after an ankle sprain. Fortunately, SGA was able to bounce back and join fellow NBA veterans and NT stalwarts Kelly Olynyk and Dwight Powell for current window.

Shai’s presence could also spark a wave of additions to Nurse’s squad with an eye toward Paris 2024.

Fellow Toronto native Andrew Wiggins led the team to an undefeated record during the 2015 FIBA World Cup Americas Championship in Mexico before being upset by Venezuela, falling just short of qualifying to Rio de Janeiro 2016.

Wiggins just won his first NBA with the Golden State Warriors and would surely love a shot at redemption.

 Canada boasts incredible depth at all positions, including Gilgeous-Alexander’s Thunder teammate Lu Dort. The Montreal-born wing just reupped with OKC for another five seasons.

The 2022 NBA Draft also saw Bennedict Mathurin and Shaeden Sharpe get picked in the lottery and Andrew Nembhard and Caleb Houstan early in the second round.

Other notable Canadians include Denver’s point guard Jamal Murray, Knicks’s small forward R.J. Barrett and Grizzlies’ wing Dillon Brooks.

Olynyk, a mainstay of the national team through the years, understands the significance of Gilgeous-Alexander playing – and dominating – at the FIBA level.

“It’s a privilege to play with a guy like that, and we’ve got a lot of them coming through this program now, so you know he’s not alone and it’s fun to play with, fun to watch, fun to win this and I think everyone here got a treat tonight,” he said.

FIBA