How Canadian NBA players are faring at the midseason mark

For the second straight season, Canada has stood tall as the nation with the largest representation in the NBA outside of the United States.

Thirteen Canadians are scattered across the league this season, with a trio of them in starting roles. Andrew Wiggins just scored a team-high 29 points to lead his Minnesota Timberwolves over the Toronto Raptors Saturday night, while Jamal Murray and Trey Lyles have adjusted exceedingly well to life without Paul Millsap and Kelly Olynyk has had some of the best moments of his career since signing a four-year, $50-million contract with the Miami Heat.

Big five

Andrew Wiggins – It’s been a career of adjustment for Wiggins so far in the NBA. After getting drafted first overall in 2014, he had to first adjust to Karl-Anthony Towns as the face of the franchise in 2015, before Jimmy Butler was added to the mix in the 2017 off-season and complicated the hierarchy further.

What this has allowed Wiggins to do, though, is slot into a role he’s arguably best suited for at age 22 and where his game is currently at. His usage rate is down from 28.8 per cent a season ago to 23 this season as he’s become a tertiary option, and that’s seen his field-goal attempts dip from 19.1 per game last season to 15.5 this season, and free-throw attempts from 6.6 to 4.3.

The decline in Wiggins’ shooting percentages is a concern, as he’s currently at an unflattering 62.6 per cent from the line and 43.2 per cent from the field. Adjusting to less opportunities to get his game going presents its own set of challenges, but he needs to get to a point where he’s more efficient with the chances he gets to take the next step.

He’s still extremely young, was drafted as a cornerstone, and is now having to third banana on the fly. He’ll learn.

Jamal Murray – When it was revealed that Paul Millsap would require surgery on his left wrist in late November, all eyes turned to Murray. The Kitchener, Ont., native struggled to start the season, shooting under 30 per cent from three and scarcely creating opportunities for his teammates.

That’s not a part of his DNA right now anyway, but a bit like Wiggins this season, he was missing out on easy opportunities because of the way he’s had to play in the past. Murray had established a method of scoring last season by taking on defenders and getting the better of them.

So, when he had opportunities early on to just catch and shoot off passes from Nikola Jokic and Millsap, he wasn’t making the read quickly enough and making life more difficult by giving the defender time to get back to him.

It’s been a different story since the end of November, putting up 17.8 points while shooting a scorching 44 per cent from beyond the arc on 5.6 attempts. His usage has been virtually the same with or without Millsap, but it will be interesting to see if anything changes when the former Atlanta Hawks star returns after the all-star break.

Kelly Olynyk – The big man who was once a point guard, Olynyk has had his moments of glory this season, in particular, against his former team. On Dec. 20, Olynyk dropped a career-high 32 points in his first return to Boston on 80(!) per cent shooting from the field and six three-pointers.

He’s shooting 41.9 per cent from deep on the season and provides a completely different look from the more traditional back-to-the-basket Hassan Whiteside. Miami’s starting centre has also lost out on minutes due to missing defensive assignments in pursuit of rebounds and blocks, which has opened the door for Olynyk to feature in some closing lineups as well.

After playing around 17 minutes per game all through November, head coach Erik Spoelstra has bumped him up to the high 20s in December and January, and Olynyk has repaid the faith. The Heat are 15-6 since Dec. 7, and the product of Kamloops, B.C., has been a big reason why.

Cory Joseph – Joseph is helping the Indiana Pacers create a new identity after the departure of Paul George. Victor Oladipo has certainly been the biggest factor in Indiana’s success, but it’s the former Raptor’s cool and calm demeanor that is his biggest asset.

While valuable during his time in Toronto, Joseph was deemed surplus with the emerging Delon Wright and Fred VanVleet in the frame. His trade yielded C.J. Miles, and so it’s probably fair to say that both parties are happy with how things have turned out to this point.

Joseph has never missed the playoffs over the course of his career, and he’ll be intent on maintaining that streak this season. The Pacers are 24-22 and in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, but have the Philadelphia 76ers, Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks lurking just below.

Tristan Thompson – It’s been a difficult year for the 26-year-old. He’s another one of those bigs whose limited offensive skill has significantly marginalized the value of his defensive contributions, and it should come as no surprise that his name has been involved in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ trade talks.

He missed over a month after straining his left calf in early November, and if the Cavs do pull off a trade before the deadline, a new home with perhaps a little less at stake may help revive his career.

It feels strange to be looking at him in these terms, considering how valuable he’s been to Cleveland’s Finals runs over the past three seasons.

On the rise

Dillon Brooks – Brooks was selected 45th overall in the 2017 NBA Draft and has received almost the entire NBA player experience in just half-a-season.

The Mississauga, Ont., native was drafted by the Houston Rockets, but traded to the Memphis Grizzlies. The team got off to a slow start, and his play and determination earned him a spot in the starting rotation early on.

A little later, his coach was fired after the team’s franchise player voiced his displeasure in a post-game scrum. The Grizzlies’ other centrepiece, Mike Conley, has missed most of the season with an Achilles tendon injury.

With Memphis looking increasingly likely to tank their season away, their young players have become a priority, and that has worked to Brooks’ benefit.

Over his last five games, Brooks is averaging 15.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.4 three-pointers made and 1.4 steals.

Trey Lyles – The Denver Nuggets have received some harsh criticism for their draft day trade that sent their 13th-overall pick to the Utah Jazz for Lyles and the 24th pick (Tyler Lydon).

Donovan Mitchell was selected 13th by the Jazz and has arguably been the best rookie this season, but many have overlooked the contributions of Lyles to the Nuggets since Millsap’s wrist injury.

Since Dec.1 Lyles is averaging 14.5 points and 6.6 rebounds while knocking down 42.9 per cent of his 4.2 three-point attempts per game. He has a nice pick-and-pop game but is capable off the dribble as well, as this play would indicate.

Dwight Powell – Powell’s individual numbers don’t stand out, but it’s the intangibles he provides that have made him a key cog in the Mavericks’ most used and most successful lineup. J.J. Barea, Yogi Ferrell, Devin Harris, Dirk Nowitzki and Powell have combined for 208 minutes and a plus-18.8 net rating.

Powell is mobile enough to keep up with opposing guards, and while you might expect this ultra small lineup to speed up play and get up and down the floor, they actually do the opposite. Their pace is at 96.38 possessions per 48 minutes, and Powell’s ability to scamper quickly across the paint is what has allowed this lineup to maintain a defensive rating of 93.0.

Don’t forget about…

This list still has a ways to go, but Khem Birch, the Quebec native, put up the first double-double of his career on Jan. 16 in a win over the Wolves. He finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and four blocks in just under 19 minutes of action.

[relatedlinks]