As the Canadian Senior Men's National Team continues its preparations for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, they have brought 13 members of their 14-man roster to Europe for a set of tuneup games before continuing their trek to Indonesia.
The one absent from the group is Nuggets star Jamal Murray, who did not travel with the team to Germany. And while he won't play in the team's first three tuneup games, he has not officially been ruled out from representing Canada at the World Cup.
Murray, who after tearing his ACL in 2021, missed the entirety of the 2021-22 season before returning to the floor to start the 2022-23 season. He helped propel the Nuggets to a historic title run less than two months ago.
With Murray's status unclear, the prevailing question is whether or not he will be able to suit up for the World Cup.
Here is what we know about his status based on reporting from training camp, statements from Canada Basketball general manager Rowan Barrett, as well as Murray himself.
MORE: Meet Jordi Fernandez, the coach tabbed to lead the Canadian Men's National Team
Will Jamal Murray play for Canada at the FIBA Basketball World Cup?
As it stands, it is unknown whether or not Jamal Murray will play for Canada at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
After Canada's first practice, Barrett made comments on Murray's status that would indicate that his status for the World Cup is at the very least up in the air.
Here's more from Barrett, per TSN's Josh Lewenberg:
He's coming in after a very, very long season, coming off of an injury, and he's here. But I think, at the same time, we need to be smart with him. He's coming in very tired, so we've gotta really watch him and work with our therapy team and make the right decision for him medically.
Barrett continued, mentioning Murray's well-known work ethic, adding that it makes it "tough managing him, but in the end, we're going to make the right decision for him. Obviously, he wants to play. He wants to be here. We want him here."
On Day 2 of training camp, Murray spoke with the media for the first time and expressed why he was on hand despite such a long season.
"I want to be here. I want to play. I want to see the guys, be around the guys and be a part of this," Murray told reporters. "Everybody I know — these are good friends of mine. We're not just teammates."
When asked about Barrett's comments on his World Cup availability, Murray responded by saying, "It's a process."
"I don't want to play too much. I did my first two-a-day the other day, and I didn't like it," he joked.
In preparation for the World Cup, Canada's National Team will play a series of exhibition games, beginning with three games in Germany. Murray, however, will not be in attendance, per multiple reports that have been confirmed by Canada Basketball.
While Murray did not travel with the team to Germany, optimism remains that he can join the team in Spain on Aug. 17 or in Indonesia ahead of the World Cup, which tips off on Aug. 25. The program is taking a cautious approach with the ramp-up of Murray, who helped the Nuggets throughout their historic run.
With respect to his workload, Murray is coming off a season in which he averaged 32.8 minutes per game over 65 regular-season games before averaging a team-high 40.0 minutes per game during Denver's 20-game run to the NBA title.
To put it plainly, Murray logged nearly 3,000 minutes of playing time over eight months and would be getting back to high-level competition less than three months later. If he is to participate in the World Cup, Murray would have just a few weeks to rest and recover ahead of training camp for the 2023-24 NBA season.
No concrete decision seems to have been made, but there are a number of variables at play with respect to Murray's ongoing recovery from his injury, his desire to represent Canada and his obligation to the Nuggets.
MORE: Jamal Murray puts Canadian pride on display after NBA title win
Canada 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup roster
18 players were invited to training camp ahead of the FIBA Basketball World Cup, but four have since pulled out of consideration. 13 of the 14 players will travel for Canada's World Cup warmup games.
| Position | Player | Team |
| F | Kyle Alexander | Valencia |
| G | Nickeil Alexander-Walker | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| G/F | RJ Barrett | New York Knicks |
| G | Trae Bell-Haynes | Casademont Zaragoza |
| F | Dillon Brooks | Houston Rockets |
| G | Luguentz Dort | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| C | Zach Edey | Purdue Boilermakers |
| F | Melvin Ejim | Unicaja |
| G | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| G | Jamal Murray | Denver Nuggets |
| C | Kelly Olynyk | Utah Jazz |
| F/C | Dwight Powell | Dallas Mavericks |
| G | Phil Scrubb | Niagara River Lions |
| F | Thomas Scrubb | Ottawa BlackJacks |
When is the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup?
- Dates: Aug. 25-Sept. 10
- Locations: Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines
The 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup begins with the Group Phase on Aug. 25. The Final Phase, or elimination round, begins on Sept. 5, with the championship game set for Sept. 10 at 8:40 a.m. ET.
Canada Group, schedule at 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup
The Canadian Men's National Team will participate in Group H and play each game of the Group Phase at Indonesia Arena. Group H consists of Canada, Latvia, Lebanon and France.
| Date | Opponent | Time (ET) |
| Aug. 25 | France | 9:30 a.m. |
| Aug. 27 | Lebanon | 5:45 a.m. |
| Aug. 29 | Latvia | 9:30 a.m. |
The top two finishers from Group H will advance to the next round. They will be joined by the top two finishers from Group G (Iran, Spain, Ivory Coast and Brazil).
