Shortly after Raptors coach Nick Nurse became Canada’s men’s basketball national team coach in 2019, he called on the country’s top players to commit.
They did.
Warriors wing Andrew Wiggins somewhat surprisingly returned to the national team. Nuggets guard Jamal Murray committed, though he got sidelined by injury. Still, several NBA players played for Canada this summer: Knicks guard R.J. Barrett, Pelicans guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Thunder guard Luguentz Dort, Pistons forward Trey Lyles (then with Spurs), Mavericks big Dwight Powell, Pistons guard Cory Joseph and Warriors guard Mychal Mulder.
Yet, Canada didn’t qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.
Nurse will try again with the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Canada clearly has the talent for better results, and Nurse is a good coach.
The bar is clear: Qualify for the Olympics. Falling short again would be even more disappointing than this year.