As we approach the All-Star break, it looks like the hierarchy among Canadian NBAers is starting to emerge.
The top-3 in our power rankings, as determined by TSN basketball analysts Josh Lewenberg, Kayla Grey, Kate Beirness and Michael Hamarneh, stay static this week. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — fresh off becoming the youngest player to record a 20-20-10 triple-double — comes in at first, this time in a clean sweep from our voters, followed by Jamal Murray and Andrew Wiggins.
Further down the rankings, things do get more interesting. We have to start with Dwight Powell, who was thriving as Luka Doncic’s preferred pick-and-roll partner before rupturing his right Achilles on Tuesday. He’s expected to miss the rest of the season, as well as the Olympic qualifiers in the summer with the Canadian national team. It’s a tremendous bummer.
Dillon Brooks holds down the number-four spot again, and he seems like the best bet to crack into the upper echelon over the course of the rest of the season. Until his 31-point performance in Monday’s loss to the Pelicans, the Memphis Grizzlies were previously undefeated in 13 games where Brooks had dropped 20+ points.
As for our trio of rookies, Brandon Clarke remains a subtle but standout member of the young Grizzlies core — he’s on pace for the first 60-40-80 season in NBA history! R.J. Barrett takes a tumble, posting raw numbers but brutal percentages on an overwhelmed Knicks team. Finally, Nickeil Alexander-Walker makes a return, re-emerging in the Pelicans rotation with some steady performances.
