When Czech Republic baseman Thomas Satoransky stabbed an elbow jumper in the outstretched hand of Canadian Lu Dort 1.0 seconds from overtime in the semifinals of the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Victoria BC last summer, it all changed for the Canadian senior basketball team. . Satoransky’s double was the difference in a 103-101 victory for the Czech Republic, one that would send Canada home heartbroken for the second time in four years, the previous one being a defeat to France in the playoffs. Olympic Games in 2016.
It was no coincidence that the two teams that beat them were proud basketball nations with the continuity of the squad at the head of their programs, with many of the players playing for their national team since adolescence. Despite having more NBA players than their two opponents, the Canadians lost because they lacked the necessary chemistry and continuity.
So did Rowan Barrett, who succeeded Canadian basketball legend Steve Nash as general manager of Canada’s senior men’s national team program in 2019, and Nick Nurse, who Barrett hired as head coach after directing the Toronto Raptors to an NBA championship, gathered the best. Canadian basketball talent collection of history in Las Vegas during the NBA Summer League a few months after that Satoransky jumper to say this: either you’re in or you’re out.
Gone are the days when Canadian NBA players could only join the team when it suited them. Or commit to playing (or at least being on the training ground and in training) for the next three years before Paris 2024, with the goal of winning an Olympic place through the FIBA 2023 World Cup instead of another last chance classification. – or you sacrifice your guaranteed place on the team and risk not having a place on the list at the time of the Olympics.
Basketball Canada’s head coach Nick Nurse expects his players to commit to the project if they have any chance of qualifying for the Paris Olympics. (Getty Images)
Now, that may seem like the logical thing to do. After all, Canadians have not reached the Olympics in 22 years, and the definition of madness is to do the same thing over and over again and expect different results. But these are NBA players we’re talking about: people who make millions of dollars who are used to doing what suits them. There are a number of things that make a long-term commitment from NBA players unlikely, including the chances of injury, time commitment after going through a long playoff season, and wanting family time. and the contractual status of players trying to sign their next contract. Andrew Wiggins refused to commit, while Dillon Brooks did not show up at training camp this week in Toronto.
The story goes on
It was a difficult sale for Barrett and Nurse, trying to convince the boys that this was the only way to build a strong winning culture for the program and one day take them to the promised land: Olympic gold. Fortunately, Shai GIligious-Alexander, the best Canadian in the game right now, took a step before Nurse even finished his speech during that dinner in Las Vegas to say he was playing. But for the undecided boys, Barrett and Nurse had to push the right buttons, explaining how this was a unique opportunity to represent their country and inspire the next generation, how they could build friendships on and off the court, how they could have fun . play together and achieve their goals, and perhaps the most overlooked aspect of all: how they could take this opportunity to improve and advance in their NBA career.
“I think a lot of people focus on what could go wrong when you come to play, but there are a lot of things that can help you,” said Kelly Olynyk, 31, who made her national team debut as a teenager at the World Cup. of 2010 in Turkey, told the media during the training camp for window 3 of the FIBA America classification. “(It can) push you and push you forward and make you take a different trajectory.”
“I think that’s something that’s a little overlooked at times, but it happens a lot more than you think.”
The nurse notes that summer is the time for NBA players to work on their games and improve, and what the national team goes through during training camp to prepare for a group of games is monumentally different than going to a regular summer workout or a casual run.
“I just feel like, every time you’re doing a high level, high intensity, high conditioning, watching strategic movies, preparing versus, you know, just going to training for the summer, that will make you better , right? And I think everyone benefits from that, from what I can tell. “
Nurse cited as examples Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, who won gold with the U.S. team at the 2016 Olympics and then had the best seasons of their career, as well as Andrew Wiggins, who played with the Canadian team in Victoria and then won an NBA Championship with the Golden State Warriors last season.
While Nurse acknowledged that his job is to prepare the team to win, he said he also oversees the growth of his players and the program’s long-term plan, similar to how he coaches the Raptors.
“What a coach should be is trying to improve and improve guys, increase their confidence, make them believe in getting them to become more than they might even think they can become and open up some thoughts or a some freedom or some pathways for them. just to get to another level. Help them get to another level, “says the nurse. “And if we can build trust here and they can bring it with them to their professional teams, it’s definitely a big part of what we’re trying to achieve here.”
There are a number of players in the national team who attribute some of their NBA successes to their international experience, including veterans Dwight Powell and Kelly Olynyk.
“I think the low season is an opportunity for everyone at all levels to improve your game. There are quiet hours, the gym, the dark hours, whatever you want to call it, where you’re destroying yourself.” , explains Powell. “But being able to compete for something at a very high level during the low season is a whole ‘other advantage in terms of development.’
“So on the one hand, this has been a big key for me in terms of continuing my career is being able to fight over the summer for something that means more to me, so that it guides my development in such a way that I’m always working for a short-term goal, which is fantastic. “
In addition, there are opportunities for many NBA players to play more important roles in their national teams than in the NBA, which makes them more experienced with ball performances, which Olynyk has experienced. . As a mainstay of the program as a teenager when most of his NBA counterparts decided not to play, Olynyk is more of a role player in the NBA, but has long been a top choice on the Canadian team. .
“I mean, you just have the opportunity to do different things, you know, whether it’s in college, the NBA or different professional teams, you stay tied to a certain role or a certain situation and you have the opportunity to come here. and grow that or change it or play a different role and keep growing, ”says Olynyk.
“It’s just about the opportunities and diversification of your game and being able to do different things at different levels and just trying to expand and expand your game physically, mentally, in skills, all that kind of stuff. The more you play in a high level, the better.
“All this experience helps translate even back into the NBA world.”
While Powell and Olynyk have created starting roles on good NBA teams during their careers, there are several Canadian NBA players committed to the program who are still trying to do it themselves. Nickeil Alexander-Walker was loaned to the Utah Jazz on the deadline and struggled to find a place in the rotation, Lu Dort is used primarily as a defensive weapon in Oklahoma where he rarely has opportunities to do anything other than locate on offense. , Khem. Birch only played minutes in the Raptors ’rotation late last season, and Oshae Brissett is still trying to advance toward Indiana’s initial rotation. Everyone could benefit from a strong summer of training and competition, with increased replays that helps them expand their games and feel more comfortable in the NBA.
Part of that comfort should come from the increased confidence that Nurse tries to instill in her players by giving them different roles than they are used to. The other part could come from the opportunity to play in situations of more pressure than they are used to, especially if they have not been part of NBA playoff teams. The more opportunities to play with the pressure of their country behind them, the more comfortable players should get under the spotlight.
“Pressure is pressure: that’s what you do. So, the more you can put yourself in these situations, the more comfortable you will feel throughout your career. So it’s definitely useful, ”Powell said.
We often focus on the negatives of committing to the national team, but it is possible that this Satoransky jumper can change Canadian men’s basketball for the better and that this summer may be the springboard some of Canada’s best young players need in order to to Raise Your Games to NBA Level
The Canadians are currently 8-0 in two qualifying windows. Tonight (July 1), the summer group will play against the Dominican Republic in Hamilton, Ontario and then travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands for a second game of that window on July 4th.
There are six qualifying windows for the FIBA World Cup. The three finals are from 22 to 30 August, from 7 to 15 November and from 20 to 28 February. Seven FIBA Americas teams will play in the …