Prior to the draft, there were only 13 Canadians (not including Nik Stauskas, sorry bro) listed in the NBA. During the 2019 NBA Draft, four Canadian players were drafted in the first round alone! Including Ignas Brazdeikis and Luguentz Dort, both of whom were drafted after the first round, the latter after the draft entirely, makes it six Canadians in this upcoming rookie class. SIX! That's almost half the number of all Canadians who were in the league prior to the draft! It’s easy to convince yourself of the ramifications of the Raptors playoff run inspiring a new generation of Canadian talent but if we’re already doing it… then the possibilities are really endless! Next to the US, Canada had the most draftees of any country. That’s amazing! In fact, that’s incredible!
While this proves that it is very much possible to get into the NBA as a Canadian, this hopefully means something more than simply the number of draftees. Currently, the US has probably the most avenues for talent development for basketball both at the high school level (AAU) and the college level (NCAA). With this new sweep of Canadian basketball, it’s not unrealistic to think that there will be more young people playing basketball. As great as that is the level of Canadian talent won’t be able to develop if the country itself doesn’t put in place the channels to do so. Recent additions such as the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) are examples of possible leagues or programs to help not only foster skill development but also act as a goal for players as a career path. Doing so would allow us as an organization of basketball development to fine-tune our programs and provide our players with the information and avenues they need to succeed. Its amazing seeing how far basketball has come in Canada up to this point and the peaks that it still has yet to reach.
While the Raps Championship still seems surreal, this rise of basketball north of the border truly is real. We can’t wait to see how this rookie class performs and cannot wait for the success of our young players moving forward. May this reign never end.