TORONTO – If you’re a Canadian basketball fan, you’ve probably gone down the rabbit hole of imagining what a backcourt of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jamal Murray might look like.“I feel like the same as everybody else,” said Nickeil Alexander-Walker, their teammate with Canada and Gilgeous-Alexander’s cousin. “It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be cool. As a teammate, I just get a better view. I get to kind of see the ins and outs of things, the behind-the-scenes, I guess.
Now, nearly a decade later, it appears as if the stars have finally aligned. Barring something unforeseen, Canada’s two best players are expected to represent the country together in Paris when the men’s Olympic basketball tournament begins in late July. Gilgeous-Alexander had an impressive showing for Canada last summer, averaging 24.5 points per game on 54 per cent shooting in eight games on the way to winning World Cup bronze – he finished fourth in scoring at the tournament behind Slovenia’s Luka Doncic, Jordan Clarkson of the Philippines and Finland’s Lauri Markkanen.
When healthy, the 27-year-old from Kitchener, ON is as clutch as anybody in basketball – a fearless, cold-blooded shot maker. No moment is too big – not the NBA Finals, and probably not the Olympics. With the game on the line, opposing countries will have to worry about two supremely talented guards, both capable of breaking down a defence, making plays for their teammates, or knocking down the dagger themselves.
Murray averaged career highs of 21.2 points and 6.5 assists per game in 59 games with Denver last season, but he also battled a myriad of ailments – including injuries to his hamstring, tibia and both ankles – and faded in the playoffs, as the Nuggets were eliminated by Minnesota in the second round. Had his team made it any further, his Olympic availability may have been in doubt.
Fernandez and the coaches won’t take any chances, though. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see them hold Murray out of at least a couple exhibition games in their lead-up to Paris, and perhaps manage his minutes once they get there.