Where does Canada go from here?
Blake Murphy, Raptors beat writer: It feels like every two or three years, we’re talking about Canada Basketball going back to the drawing board. The big difference this time around, versus 2019, was a far better commitment from their top players. They have to make sure that yet another stumble doesn’t undercut that momentum and discourage future turnout.
It’s a long road to the 2024 Olympics, with the 2022 Americas and 2023 World Cup standing as marquee events for the program to gain experience and, you’d hope, secure an earlier berth to the Olympics so they can stop playing lose-and-you’re-out wild-card qualifiers. Oh, and they have to convince Nurse to stick around.
What did we learn about Canada in the qualifying tournament?
Murphy: The biggest takeaway is something the U.S. has learned on and off over the years: It’s not enough to just have a strong talent turnout. Yes, Canada was missing some key pieces, and its road was made tougher by low turnout sinking its World Cup chances in 2019.
Still, this is a roster that was almost completely turned over from 2019, and while it improved over the course of each game, the unfamiliarity and lack of connective experience were obvious against more veteran teams like Greece and Czech Republic. Interior size and 3-point shooting are areas to address, but really this young group needs more time together.
(Photo: Mert Alper Dervis / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
