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Jonathan Chen
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NBA basketball is finally back and with another season, another record number of Canadians players are on NBA rosters. There are 16 players on fully-guaranteed contracts and 4 others on two-way contracts. Never before has the Canadian presence in the NBA been quite as large. After 1 week of NBA basketball, here is our Canadian player power rankings
Murray also talked about improving his focus on effort on the defensive end after the game which is extremely encouraging for Canadian basketball fans and Nuggets fans.
1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
24.3 PPG 6.0 REB 3.0 AST 51.9% FG% 1.0 STL 1.7 BLK
Being the center piece of the Paul George haul, the Thunder were expecting big things from the second year guard. Thus far, Gilgeous-Alexander has been everything any Thunder fan could have hoped for and so much more.
Although I must admit that 3 games is a very small sample size, SGA has looked impressive scoring the basketball. His shot is so much quicker and smoother compared to last season and he's scoring with great efficiency. He's finding success using his long frame and slithering to the rim for all kinds of tough finishes.
This next play is the epitome of Shai's game right now. Length, and touch around the rim. It's a dangerous combination.
He's also continued to be a beast on the defensive end with his insane length and lateral quickness. Shai still struggles a bit passing the ball (3.0: 2.0 AST:TOV ratio), but under Chris Paul's tutelage, I could see Shai's passing improve immensely by the end of the year.
2. Jamal Murray
20.5 PPG 6.0 REB 4.5 AST 36.4% FG% 45.5% 3FG 1.0 STL
The overall FG% isn't where you want it to be right now, but he's shooting a blistering 45.5% from three so Nuggets fans shouldn't need to worry. Undoubtedly the best Canadian NBA player right now, Murray is notorious for his slow starts, so his good play in the first 2 games of the season is an encouraging sign. He was also big down the stretch for the Nuggets in their game against the surprisingly good Phoenix Suns.
Oh yeah, he also had this ankle breaker on Devin Booker which was just straight up nasty.
3. RJ Barrett
21.0 PPG 5.0 REB 2.7 AST 51.0% FG% 53.8% 3FG 2.7 STL
The #3 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, RJ Barrett's first week as an NBA player was phenomenal. He's currently leading the team in scoring and doing so on great efficiency. Coming into the league, one of my biggest worries for Barrett was his horrid inefficiency in college. It seems NBA spacing and working on his shot mechanics has helped alleviate some of these problems for Barrett.
On the defensive end, RJ's been competing and active as seen by his 2.7 steals per game average (it's bound to go down due to the small sample size, but still it's exciting to see him put so much effort on the defense.
When you watch him play, you can see his competitive fire and confidence. He's hit some big shots for the Knicks already and as a rookie he is passing all tests with flying colours.
I don't think anyone expects his 53.8% 3FG to stay constant and his 42.9% FT% is a little worrying. That being said, RJ had an excellent week and I look forward to his ongoing development
The #3 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, RJ Barrett's first week as an NBA player was phenomenal. He's currently leading the team in scoring and doing so on great efficiency. Coming into the league, one of my biggest worries for Barrett was his horrid inefficiency in college. It seems NBA spacing and working on his shot mechanics has helped alleviate some of these problems for Barrett.
On the defensive end, RJ's been competing and active as seen by his 2.7 steals per game average (it's bound to go down due to the small sample size, but still it's exciting to see him put so much effort on the defense.
When you watch him play, you can see his competitive fire and confidence. He's hit some big shots for the Knicks already and as a rookie he is passing all tests with flying colours.
I don't think anyone expects his 53.8% 3FG to stay constant and his 42.9% FT% is a little worrying. That being said, RJ had an excellent week and I look forward to his ongoing development
4. Andrew Wiggins
20.7 PPG 6.0 REB 0.7 AST 43.1% FG% 23.5% 3FG 0.3 STL
Wiggins kicked off his 2019 campaign with an inefficient 21 points on 10-27 shooting. Not to mention he was a dreadful -26. That being said, I felt like we saw a different Wiggins that game. Yes he still took some of his patented inefficient long 2s, but I saw a Wiggins who was much more active on the defensive end and on the boards. Down the stretch, Wiggins was huge for the Wolves. He was aggressive and attacking the basket. He went right at Jarrett Allen a couple times in the 4th quarter and OT and converted on a few contact layups that were really eye-opening.
Then fast forward to the Miami game on Sunday night. By all accounts he was bad for most of the game. But he just erupted with 3:35 to go in the fourth. He dropped 11 straight points to help the Wolves beat the red hot Heat and remain perfect on the season. To be quite honest, I have never seen Wiggins in the zone like he was in the last few minutes of the 4th on Sunday night.
Although the efficiency isn't ideal right now, Wiggins is looking improved(!) thus far.
Wiggins kicked off his 2019 campaign with an inefficient 21 points on 10-27 shooting. Not to mention he was a dreadful -26. That being said, I felt like we saw a different Wiggins that game. Yes he still took some of his patented inefficient long 2s, but I saw a Wiggins who was much more active on the defensive end and on the boards. Down the stretch, Wiggins was huge for the Wolves. He was aggressive and attacking the basket. He went right at Jarrett Allen a couple times in the 4th quarter and OT and converted on a few contact layups that were really eye-opening.
Then fast forward to the Miami game on Sunday night. By all accounts he was bad for most of the game. But he just erupted with 3:35 to go in the fourth. He dropped 11 straight points to help the Wolves beat the red hot Heat and remain perfect on the season. To be quite honest, I have never seen Wiggins in the zone like he was in the last few minutes of the 4th on Sunday night.
Although the efficiency isn't ideal right now, Wiggins is looking improved(!) thus far.
5. Tristan Thompson
20.5 PPG 12.0 REB 0.5 AST 70.4% FG% 0.5 AST 2.0 BLK
Thompson is entering a contract year and it certainly seems like he knows it. Through 2 games he's averaging 20-12. While we all know these numbers will inevitably fall, Thompson has looked great on the court. He's healthy and causing all kinds of chaos on the glass and he even hit a 3 pointer! His defense has also been rock solid thus far.
The Cavs don't have any plans to contend but Thompson has proven to be a great veteran presence in the locker room. His free agency could be a big one as it could affect his decision to suit up for Team Canada this summer in Olympic Qualifiers. If he's this active and locked in, I think Canada would love to have Thompson show up and anchor the defense.
Thompson is entering a contract year and it certainly seems like he knows it. Through 2 games he's averaging 20-12. While we all know these numbers will inevitably fall, Thompson has looked great on the court. He's healthy and causing all kinds of chaos on the glass and he even hit a 3 pointer! His defense has also been rock solid thus far.
The Cavs don't have any plans to contend but Thompson has proven to be a great veteran presence in the locker room. His free agency could be a big one as it could affect his decision to suit up for Team Canada this summer in Olympic Qualifiers. If he's this active and locked in, I think Canada would love to have Thompson show up and anchor the defense.
Honorable Mention: Kelly Olynyk
Kelly Olynyk was going to make this week's top 5 after a couple of strong games off the bench (he's currently recovering from a knee injury). But he had a really bad game against Minnesota and Wiggins exploded at the end of that game so Olynyk got bumped down this week. That being said, Olynyk is still one of Canada's best players right now and I would fully expect him to take a top 5 spot next week.Story to Watch: #FreeKhemBirch
Khem Birch is an analytics darling and had a really strong showing for Team Canada this summer at the World Cup. He also played really well for the Magic in their first round match up against the eventual champions in the Toronto Raptors.
However, fast forward to the start of this season, Birch has not played a single minute. With the all-star Vucevic in front of him and the Magic trying to develop Mo Bamba, there has been no minutes for Birch. And he is a good NBA role player at this point of his career. It's honestly a little confusing why he resigned in Orlando, but this is definitely a story to keep tabs on as the season progresses.
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