Top Five Canadians Making Their Mark on The NBA
During a memorable finish to Game Seven between the Boston Celtics and the Washington Wizards, an unlikely hero emerged for the Celts — Kelly Olynyk.
After taking criticism for being a dirty player by the most reasonable and level-headed person in the NBA, Draymond Green, the Kamloops native finished with a career-high 26 points off the bench, crushing the Wizards playoff hopes.
Olynyk hasn’t been the only Canadian basketball player in the spotlight lately. Let’s take a look at the top five Canucks that are making their mark on today’s NBA.
5. Jamal Murray
Born in Kitchener, Murray played one season for John Calipari and the Kentucky Wildcats, averaging 20 points, five rebounds, two assists and shooting over 40% from three-point range. This was a large enough sample size for the Denver Nuggets, who selected him with the 7th overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft.
In his rookie year, Murray showed serious flashes for a Nuggets squad in full rebuild-mode. He averaged 10 points, three rebounds and two assists per game. On a few occasions, Murray was able to explode and showcase his scoring ability. He scored a career-high 30 points in a win over the Pelicans in April and was named MVP of the 2017 Rising Stars Challenge after posting a game-high 36 points and a game-high 11 assists in Team World’s victory over Team USA.
4. Kelly Olynyk
Despite being the lead to this story, as a result of his inconsistency Olynyk belongs in the middle of the pack here. After averaging a very respectable 9.5 points, five rebounds and two assists during the regular season, Olynyk represents the youth and energy that define the Celtics. The 26-year-old was born in Toronto and raised in B.C. He actually began his career at point guard, despite being 6’10” in grade 11.
Olynyk played his college ball with Gonzaga, and after redshirting his first season was selected as a consensus First-Team All-American and the Academic All-American in 2012–13. Olynyk has now carved himself out a nice role in a fast-paced and dynamic Boston Celtics team. He came off the bench and outscored the entire Wizards team in the fourth quarter of Game Seven, and will now try his luck against the defending champs in Cleveland.
3. Cory Joseph
Joseph, the Pickering native, is currently poised to take over the starting point guard role for his hometown Toronto Raptors. After playing under Greg Popovich from 2011–15, CoJo was groomed to be a top-tier NBA talent. Learning under Tony Parker, Joseph played limited minutes and was routinely assigned to the D-league (now G-league, ugh) but did win his first NBA championship in 2014 when the Spurs topped the Heat in five games.
Fast-forward to now. CoJo has played a huge role for the ever-competitive Raptors and took on extra minutes this season as a result of the injuries suffered by Kyle Lowry. With a proper pedigree and after having shown the ability to take hold of the offence, Joseph will likely take the reigns as Lowry has decided to test the free-agency market.
2. Tristan Thompson
Thompson, who grew up with Joseph, also played with CoJo for one season with the Longhorns. After being drafted 4th overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2011 NBA Draft, he was the highest drafted Canadian-born player in NBA history (until the last person on this list + a major bust took that accolade from him, respectively). In fact, after being drafted alongside CoJo, it was one of only two occasions in NBA history that two Canadians were selected in the first round of the same draft.
Since then, Thompson has become a vital piece (which is kind of hard to say with LeBron there) to the Cavs success over the past few seasons. On December 26, 2016, Thompson became the first player in franchise history to play in 400 consecutive regular-season games — so you can say consistency has been a factor.
1. Andrew Wiggins
It’s probably fair to say most of you figured that we would wind up here. Wiggins, who was drafted 1st overall by Cleveland Cavaliers, has truly set himself apart as the best Canadian player in the NBA. Wiggins had a dramatic entrance to the league, wherein he was part of a three-team-trade that resulted in Kevin Love heading to the Cavs after the King announced his royal return to the ‘Land.
The move put a lot of pressure on the ex-Jayhawk, as he was now poised to become the leader and primary playmaker for a struggling Timberwolves team. This pressure didn’t hinder the Vaughn native, as he was named Rookie of the Year for the 2014–15. Now that the Wolves have a second franchise cornerstone in Karl-Anthony Towns and an electric but inconsistent guard in Zach Lavine, Wiggins is poised to become a part of something special in Minneapolis.
Aaron Lieberman is a cofounder of The Ocho, as well as our satire editor. You can catch him (almost) every week on The Ocho Podcast on Thursday nights with fellow cofounder Riley Nicklaus Evans. Follow Aaron on Twitter at @aliebs93.
