NBA Canadian Player Power Rankings: Week #2

1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 

Last Week: #1

I know its still early, but it may be time we rewind and re-examine the debate about who the best Canadian NBA player is. Before the season, I think most rational fans would argue for Jamal Murray. And it's not like Murray has been disappointing to start the year. He's been alright. It's just Shai has been spectacular. His scoring numbers look like there here to stay and he's been stuffing the stat sheet in other areas as well. He's still playing elite defense with a DWS (Defensive Win Shares) of 0.4, making him tied for 6th in the league (with Jonathan Issac!).

Back when I was watching him in college, I never would have envisioned Shai as such a dynamic and effective scorer. I saw him as a big lead guard who would run the offense and play elite defense. However, his blistering start to the season has really made me question what his ceiling as a player is. 

Can he make a couple All-star teams? At this rate of progression, I can definitely see it. And he may be the future face of Canadian basketball. Who would've thought.

Cousins Gilgeous-Alexander and Alexander-Walker met for the first time in their NBA careers this week. A monumental occasion for the Alexander household and Canada as a whole

2. Jamal Murray 

Lase Week: #2

The Denver Nuggets played 4 games this week and their play was uninspiring. They lost back to back games to Dallas and New Orleans and their defensive effort was so bad that Mike Malone called out the team in a post game presser. Jokic looks passive and sluggish when he's on the court. Just not the best week for Nuggets fans.

That being said, Murray was not all that bad this week. He didn't shoot the 3 ball well, but he made up for it by shooting far better from inside the arc. This season Murray is averaging career highs in points (18.5) rebounds (4.8) and WS/48 (.125). I definitely expect his offensive production to increase as he gets into a better rhythm and the season goes along.

Murray hasn't quite taken the huge leap forward that many have hoped he would take. That being said he's still only 22 years old and the playoff experience from last season will definitely mold him into a more complete NBA player.

3. Tristan Thompson

Last Week: #5

Tristan Thompson is in a contract year and boy does he know it. This week, he dropped 3 double doubles including a 23 point outing to go along with 5 blocks! Thompson. along with Kevin Love, have been excellent so far in the early season. He's a great veteran presence and is in good health. While I don't think the offensive production will be the same throughout the whole season (he's averaging a career high in points and rebounds), it's great to see Thompson playing well on the court again and be in headlines for basketball reasons.

Thompson truly does look rejuvinated. After last season where he struggled with more off court scandals and injuries, Thompson looks fresh and is playing the best basketball of his career. He is attacking the boards on both ends of the floor and using his incredible motor to block 1.8 shots per game. He's at a whopping 4.2 for BPM and 0.2 DWS. More surprisingly is his 2.6 OBPM number. Thompson has never reached 1.0 in OBPM, so he is definitely showing improvements on the offensive side of the ball. 

4. Andrew Wiggins

Last Week: #4

This week Andrew Wiggins was again decent. He had an ugly game in Philly but to be fair the Timberwolves played horrible that day. The next game against the Wizards, Wiggins was much better. In fact he was a +19, making it 3 times in the past 5 games that he has finished with a positive plus-minus. 

The one thing I like about Wiggins' play this year has been his activity overall. He's much more engaged defensively and offensively. It seems he's really bought into Ryan Saunders' system. Wiggins is even putting in more all around games as he is more active on the boards and even racking up some more assists this week. 

For years, Wiggins has been dreadful when it comes to advanced analytics. But so far this season, the numbers are encouraging. He's averaging a career high -1.0 BPM (0.1 OBPM and -1.1 DBPM, both of which are also career highs) and .107 WS/48.

For someone who's still on Wiggins island, I truly believe Wiggins can become a good NBA player this season. 

5. RJ Barrett

Last Week: #3

RJ Barrett is playing a lot for the Knicks. And I mean a lot. Aside from the game against the Magic this week, Barrett has played more than 35 minutes in every game of the season. This week, he's played 40 minutes in the game against the Bulls, 39 minutes against the Celtics and then 41 minutes against the Kings last night.

With all these minutes, Barrett has produced across the board. The alarming thing for me is his atrocious 45.5% free throw rate. He's get to the line a ton so he's got to be able to convert on those opportunities. In addition, his advanced numbers are pretty bad so far. Like worse than Andrew Wiggins bad.

All that being said, Barrett has had a good first two weeks in the NBA. It looks like he is going to be playing a lot of minutes for the rest of the season so expect him to be continue to be on this power ranking list.

Honorable Mention: Brandon Clarke

Brandon Clarke had a record setting season last year at Gonzaga in terms of advanced stats and efficiency. And in his rookie year, it's been much of the same. He logged his first double double of his career this week and is continuing to play excellent defense. Looking at Clarke's advanced numbers are even more mind blowing. He's averaging a PER of 21.8, good for second among all Canadian players. He's also at a 3.1 in terms of BPM and .162 WS/48. While he may not put up the same box score numbers of his Canadian counterparts, Clarke is already one of the most effective players in the league. He's definitely one player that has surprised me and has a real shot at cracking the Top 5 next week.

Story to Watch: The Return of Dwight Powell and the Struggles of Kelly Olynyk

Two of Canada basketball's best big men have had interesting starts to the season. Both Powell and Olynyk were nursing nagging injuries. Powell made his debut this week and actually started alongside Porzingis. In his last two games, Powell's minutes are up to 25 and 27 minutes . So Powell will definately have the playing time and opportunity to jump into the top 5, potentially as early as next week.

Meanwhile for Olynyk, he's in a little slump right now. He shot poorly from the field this week (he was 4/17) and it seems his starting role from a season ago has been taken by Meyers Leonard. While Olynyk has played bad to start the year, maybe his quad contusion is bothering him a little more than he and the Heat are letting on.