2015 FIBA Americas Basketball Preview: Road to Rio
By Jay Rosales
Jul 25, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Canada forward
Anthony Bennett(10) and Brazil center Joao Paulo Batista (13) fight for a rebound in the men
Canada
FIBA Ranking: 25
NBA Players on Rosters: Andrew Nicholson, Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Bennett, Cory Joseph, Dwight Powell, Kelly Olynyk, Melvin Ejim, Nik Stauskas, Robert Sacre
Outlook: The star power on this squad more than makes up for any lack of chemistry and cohesion that other teams may have. There are more NBA players (9) on the Canadian team than all other participating countries COMBINED (7).
In a FIBA Americas tuneup this week, they finished undefeated against Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Brazil, and Argentina. Before crowning them with an Olympic berth, keep in mind the Canadians had a strong squad during the 2013 FIBA Americas that underperformed and failed to qualify for the semis. This, however, is a much deeper, more athletic, and better shooting team.
Stauskas and Brady Heslip are deadly from outside, Bennett should finish the tournament as the top rebounder, and Wiggins will finish as a top-3 scorer. They match up well with every country and should capture one of the two Olympic berths.