Canada had a disappointing showing at the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Based on the roster put together for this year's tournament, the Canadians have a real chance to win it all.
While there are a couple of notable players missing, most of the heavy hitters have been named to Canada's training camp roster for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. That includes the likes of Cory Joseph, Kelly Olynyk and Dwight Powell, who have long been part of the program, as well as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jamal Murray.
Of the 18 players who made the roster, which five should start? Here's one person's opinion.
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Picking Canada's starters for FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023
Let's start with the no-brainers: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jamal Murray.
Gilgeous-Alexander is coming off a season in which he averaged a career-best 31.4 points to go along with 5.5 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game with the Thunder. Those numbers helped him earn the first All-Star and All-NBA selections of his career and bumped him to No. 16 in our most recent best players rankings.
Murray has yet to make an All-Star team, but he's proven himself to be an all-time playoff performer. His career average of 25.0 points per game in the postseason is one of the highest marks in NBA history and he played a key role in the Nuggets winning the championship in 2023.
Together, Gilgeous-Alexander and Murray give Team Canada perhaps the best backcourt in the FIBA World Cup. They should complement each other well, too. While they're both at their best with the ball in their hands, they're good spot-up shooters who have experience playing alongside other playmakers, from Chris Paul and Josh Giddey for Gilgeous-Alexander to, of course, Nikola Jokic for Murray.
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There are a number of options to fill out the three other spots. RJ Barrett might be the next-best player, but I like the idea of making him the sixth man to bring a scoring punch off the bench and pair Gilgeous-Alexander and Murray with more of a specialist.
You can't go wrong with Luguentz Dort or Dillon Brooks in that case, who are two of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA. I lean towards Brooks ever so slightly because he gives Team Canada more size (6-6 and 225 pounds compared to 6-3 and 220 pounds) and he's been a bit more reliable 3-point shooter in his NBA career.
Kelly Olynyk and Dwight Powell are the best candidates to round out the starting five. The two complement each other well on offense, with Olynyk providing playmaking and floor spacing while Powell is more of a traditional, pick-and-roll big. Powell's role next to Gilgeous-Alexander and Murray wouldn't look that much different from the one he currently has in Dallas playing with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
That would give Team Canada the following starting lineup:
- PG: Jamal Murray
- SG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- SF: Dillon Brooks
- PF: Kelly Olynyk
- C: Dwight Powell
That's a nice combination of playmaking, defense, shooting and rim-running. Again, Barrett is the toughest call, but the nice thing about the roster Canada has put together is its lineup flexibility. Barrett could easily start in place of Brooks, but he could also start alongside Murray, Gilgeous-Alexander and Brooks with one of Olynyk and Powell playing center. Canada even has the option of going super big with the 7-4 Zach Edey, whose game is better suited for FIBA than the NBA.
Whatever head coach Jordi Fernandez decides, Canada is built to compete with the best of the best.
