Kelly Olynyk

Kelly Olynyk is another Nik Staustas in the terms of not being highly recruited out of college. Olynyk is a legit 7'0 that was never really heard of until his senior season at Gonzaga. I never really followed Olynyk through his college career because I never really heard of him. The Toronto native kept working at his game his first 3 years of college and then it finally paid off his senior season where he was one of the top players in college basketball. His Stellar performances resulted in a number 13 overall pick in the NBA draft this season. Olynyk was drafted to the Boston Celtics where he had a pretty decent rookie season. Olynyk was one of the top rookies in the summer league last summer where he really impressed me with his skill. His footwork ability for a 7'0 player was really nice to watch. He kind of has an awkwardness to his game that plays in his advantage. When you play against a guy that is an awkward player it is really hard to defend them. I do not think you could understand this if you never played basketball before because when you guard most guys you usually know where there going to be and what kind of move they will make. However, that move can be just too quick for you and you get burned, but against awkward players I feel like you never know where they are going to be. Being an awkward player, like I have labeled Olynyk, is not a bad think at all, in fact it definitely works in his favor. Another thing I really like about Olynyk is his touch around the rim. He average 8.7 points per game this year and 5.2 rebounds per game. I expect to see those numbers to go up in the coming years and I believe he will turn out to be a good player in the NBA. It took him a little while to get adjusted to the college game so maybe it will take him awhile to get adjusted to the NBA game.

Olynyk, like Stauskas, showed everyone around the world that you do not have to be ranked or known about coming out of high school. If you work as hard as you can to make yourself the best you can be, the rest will pan out for you. Another great example to represent a Canadian basketball player. I do not think I have seen a player on the college or pro level that has been a bad example for the Canadians. They are all really respectful on the court and off the court to my knowledge. These players that I have mentioned are setting a very good path for Canadians to come and they are showing the correct way on how to carry yourself on and off the court. I did these blogs create awareness that Canada basketball is really getting better and to expect more players in college and the NBA. Also, expect to see the Canadian National Team be very competitive from here on out.

Up and Coming

Trey Lyles is a 6'10 power forward that was born in Canada, but played his high school ball at Indianapolis Technical High School. Lyles is in the class of 2014 and is attending the University of Kentucky to further his education and basketball career. Tech High School was the best high school in Indiana this season leading them to a State Championship and the first time an Indianapolis Public School (IPS) school has won a state championship in 30 years. Tech High School also finished as the number three team in the country which is pretty remarkable considering there a public school. Lyles also took home the Mr. Basketball award in Indiana which I disagreed with, but I am not getting into that in this blog. There is no doubt that Lyles had a phenomenal senior season and career, but I though another player was more deserving (Trevon Bluiett).

Lyles is plays a stretch four, which means at 6'10 he is able to shoot from the perimeter and handle the ball on the perimeter. When Tech faced pressure this year they would throw it in to Lyles to let him bring it up because he can handle the ball and see over the defense if he need to advance the ball ahead. Lyles has pretty good athleticism and is aggressive on the boards and blocks. The only weakness I see is toughness sometimes. I noticed a couple games that I've saw him that if you kind of push him around in the post and bother him he will fold up sometimes. I noticed that if you push him out to the perimeter and stay out that and in high school if you're 6'10, you should be dominating on the block. I think Calipari will straighten that up at Kentucky and Lyles will be a great player for them. I see him being a first round draft pick someday that makes himself a career in the NBA.

Trey Lyles is important for Canadian basketball because he plays for his national team and that is big time. A lot of players that were born in a country, but play in the US for high school, will not go back and play for their national team. I am not saying that the guys who do this are bad dudes, but that really means a lot to a country if they come back and play. Kyrie Irving is an example that could play for his Australian National Team, but instead plays with the US National Team. Trey however, played with the U19 Canadian team this past summer and was actually their leading scorer. He was hurt in the final game vs the US and the US ended up winning. I think Trey Lyles will continue to represent Canada well as he goes to the next chapter of his life at Kentucky and then in the NBA.

Right or Left Hand?

Tristan Thompson is a Brampton, Canada native that did something over this past summer that I have never seen before. Thompson played his college ball at the University of Texas where he stayed one season and then entered the NBA draft. Thompson is known for his high motor and his athletic ability which allows him to bring down some tough rebounds. Thompson has always been ambidextrous his whole life but always used his left hand for free throws and jump shots. In the summer of 2013 Tristan Thompson made the decision to shoot with his right hand instead of his left. A teammate of his challenged him to a free throw shooting contest with there opposite hands one day so Thompson shot them right handed. He won the contest and his teammate suggested that he shoot with his right hand all the time because shooting with his left hand was not really working out so well for Thompson. So Thompson ended up switching and this year he shot his highest free throw percentage since he has been in the league. Now obviously this transition was a lot easier for a guy like Thompson since he is ambidextrous, but is still a really difficult transition. For a guy that is not ambidextrous, this is impossible to completely change your dominant hand in the NBA. For Thompson though it is not just about the shooting part of it, it also is about changing your foot work as well. When he used his left hand he made moves that led to his left hand, but if he used those same moves as a right hand dominant player he would be all messed up. So I am sure he spent a lot of the summer working on his shot obviously, but also a lot on his footwork. I actually watch a decent amount of Cavaliers games each year and I could definitely tell an improvement from the free throw line, but it really didn't do much for his Field Goal Percentage. What I mean by that is Thompson isn't really a mid range jump shooter at all. All his shots are dunks, layups right at the rim, or four to eight foot floaters. I think this transition is good because it improved his Free Throw Percentage by 9 percentage points and Thompson is still really young so he could develop a jump shot.

Tristan Thompson represents Canadian basketball players really well because of how he acts on and off the court. Thompson has a really good sense of humor and he is not known for being a dirty player at all. He loves to help his community and he stands as a really good role model for not just Canadian kids, but all kids.

Not Just a Sharp Shooter

Nik Stauskas is a 6'6 wing player from Mississauga, Canada that can fill up the scoring column. Stauskas was a sophomore at Michigan this year and has entered the draft where he is projected to be a lottery pick. Stauskas's freshman year at Michigan he was know for raining in 3's from all over the court. He actually made a YouTube video of him shooting 3's outside of his home where he made around 50 in a row outside in the rain. Out of high school Stauskas was not heralded as a top recruit and I am not even sure he was in the ESPN top 100. They said he used to make YouTube videos of himself playing in AAU and that really helped his recruiting. As I said before, last year in his freshman season at Michigan he would just mostly stand on the perimeter and knock in 3's.This past season he showed that he can hit 3's from anywhere and also that he can drive the lane and finish with some high flying dunks. At 6'6 he will be able to play the shooting guard position in the NBA where I think he can have quite a career. With the ability to shoot it from anywhere along with the ability to drive it past you makes him a really dangerous player to guard. The way he carries himself is a positive too in my opinion because he is so confident in himself. To be great you have to think you are the best player on the floor at all times and I believe Stauskas does that. During his freshman year I always used to say, if this kid could take people off the bounce he could be really good. Stauskas showed me that this year and he was outstanding in his sophomore year at Michigan.

Stauskas has shown young kids that you do not have to be highly ranked coming out of high school. If you work on your craft and become the best player you can be that is all you can do as a player. Also, Stauskas gives young Canadian children the hopes and dreams of playing in major college basketball. Being from Canada a lot of kids feel that that are not really being looked at especially if they are not ranked in on any scouting websites. If they take the approach that Stauskas did, which was work as hard as you can to be good, then they can accomplish what they want to. Even the fact the Stauskas made his own YouTube videos shows that he knew he was good and he really wanted to go D1.

Andrew Wiggins

Andrew Wiggins was one of the most hyped up college basketball players coming into this past season that I have seen in a long time. There was so much hype that I do not think it mattered what he did, he was not going to live up to it. Coming out of high school at Huntington Prep, he was labeled as the number 1 player in the country. I believe he is the first Canadian player to be ranked number 1 in the country coming out of high school which is a big accomplishment. Yet again another accolade Canadian players have accomplished that is letting me know that they are on their way to being a country that is really good at basketball. All they hype he got coming out of high school was a little ridiculous because I watched him a couple times and I really did not see where all that hype was coming from. Do not get me wrong he is a great player, but the amount of hype he got was unnecessary. When I look at Wiggins game right now, I see a guy that does not have a consistent outside shot from 3. His mid-range jumper is a lot more consistent but I would not say it is great. His athletic ability is off the charts, but right now I do not think he has the strength to finish in traffic. When he drives the the rim he really likes to do a one dribble spin move to the goal. I definitely see him developing in the NBA because his shot is not broken at all and he is a tremendous athlete. He needs to sharpen up his ball handling and perimeter skills and he will have the time and training to do that in the NBA. Personally, coming out of high school I thought Jabari Parker was the number 1 player because of his NBA ready skill set.

Again this is important because the growth of these Canadian players is catching the eye of a lot of people. Having a number 1 pick in the draft and then having a number 1 player coming out of high school is a big step for Canada. I expect the Canadian National team to make the Olympics in 2014 and really compete if all of their players come out and play for them. I think Andrew Wiggins has a bright future in the NBA ahead of him as long as he puts in the work and works on his game. Wiggins seems so have that relentless mentality and seems to want to get better so I fully expect that to happen in the NBA.

Controversial Number 1 Pick

In the 2013-2014 NBA draft the Cleveland Cavaliers selected Anthony Bennett from UNLV. This was perhaps the most shocking number 1 draft pick that I have ever heard of. The analysts covering the draft were shocked and I have never seen that before. In a draft like last year, where no one was really a clear cut number 1 pick, there is usually talks about 3 or 4 players that they predict to be the number 1 pick and Anthony Bennett was not one of them. So there is really no surprise to why everyone was shocked because no on was talking about him. There is a lot of speculation that the Cleveland Cavaliers do not know what they are doing because since LeBron left they have been terrible. I think Anthony Bennett is a pretty decent player, but to take him number 1 overall was a little ridiculous to me. In a draft where you have guys like Michael Carter-Williams and Victor Oladipo I felt like Cleveland could have gotten a better pick. If you look at Bennett's body of work he is 6'7 and overweight coming out of college. He does not have the ball handling and the agility to play on the perimeter and he does not have the athletic ability and height to play in the post in the NBA. Bennett is what you call a tweener which means he is in between positions and does not really have a position. In a way I feel sorry for him for all of the criticism he has taken throughout this season because I believe if he would have went later in the draft no one would be talking about him badly. Since he is the number 1 pick everyone talks negatively about him.

This is important because Anthony Bennett is from Brampton, Ontario and is the first player ever drafted number 1 overall from Canada. To me this really shows the growth in basketball in Canada because having a number 1 pick really lets people know that these kids from Canada can play. Even though Bennett did not have a very good first year, that is still quite a huge accomplishment for his country. Do not think that Bennett will be the only number 1 pick from Canada either because they're younger players coming up that have a nice chance of being a number 1 pick and that could happen as early as next season. Andrew Wiggins from Kansas will have a shot at getting the number 1 pick, but he will at least be in the top 5. 

Pioneer for Canadian Players

In my opinion, Steve Nash is a pioneer for the basketball players from Canada that come and play in the United States. Steve Nash okay his college ball at Santa Clara and I am guessing that the percentage of Canadian players in college basketball back then was 1% or lower. Steve Nash played a little soccer in his day, but he was known for his crafty abilities on the hardwood. It wasn't the fact that Nash was from Canada and came to the United States to play college and pro ball, it was the fact that he was was star in the NBA. If Nash would have came to play at Santa Clara and then was not good enough to play in the NBA, I believe we would not remember him. Steve Nash now helps the U19 Canadian National team with basketball skills and coaching. An Indiana High School basketball player by the name of Trey Lyles, who was born in Canada, talked about always being able to go to Nash for anything. I think Nash represents Canada very well by how he handles himself and just the respect that he gets for being such a great player on and off the court throughout his NBA career.

Nash started his career in 1994 at the Phoenix Suns where he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in 1998. I remember playing NBA Live 2003 on the PS2 and playing with the Dallas Mavericks because of Nash and Dirk Nowitzki. He played in Dallas from 1998 to 2004 where they had some really good teams that were title contenders in some of those years. Nash and Nowitzki never got a championship at Dallas, but they put together some really good seasons and playoff runs. From 2004 to 2012 he went back to the Phoenix Suns where they ran an offense called the run and gun. They in bounded the ball and raced it down the court as fast as they could and shot the ball as fast as they could. They could afford to do this because they never really had any big guys that would slow them down and they had a bunch of shooters that could make shots. There were multiple years where it just seemed like they were the favorites to win the west because of how high powered their offense was. The Sun's were never able to put together a championship run because of the Lakers and the Spurs, but they had some really good seasons and in the 2003-2004 season and 2005-2006 season Steve Nash won back to back MVPs. Today Nash is at the Lakers where he is playing limited minutes and playing for a team that looks like they will not win a championship anytime soon.

Steve Nash was a pioneer for Canadian players and now you see Canadian players all over the place. Last years NBA draft the number 1 pick, Anthony Bennett, is from Canada and he is the first player from Canada to go number 1 overall. In this years draft Andrew Wiggins is a top 3 pick and Nik Stauskas is predicted to be a lottery pick so you can definitely see the growth in players throughout Canada. Steve Nash is a big deal to the NBA and a big reason why there are so many Canadian players coming to play ball.