Top Five Canadian Players in the NBA Regular Season

If you’re not familiar with Canada’s home-grown NBA superstars, let Bodog get you up to speed with this certified list of legends on and off the court.

It goes without saying that the NBA is a competition dominated almost entirely by American teams; while 29 of the 30 teams are based in the United States, just one represents Canada from their home in Toronto.

Despite this lopsidedness, being outnumbered hasn’t stopped Canada from wrestling its way – or rather, playing its way – into the NBA. It hasn’t so much as prevented the Toronto Raptors from securing the biggest prize in the sport, when they claimed victory in 2019.

But our native sons aren’t contained to one team, and the Canadian influence from within the NBA doesn’t end with just one recent pinnacle of success. Pro basketball is, in fact, awash with talent from north of the border, with 25 players signed to teams for the current season, making the country the second-most represented in the league. Canadians aren’t there just to make up the numbers, either. This ain’t no quota exercise! Many of these players have had a significant impact on their teams’ performance this season.

With the curtains drawn on this year’s regular season, Bodog’s focus is set on post-season NBA betting. We’ve got our eye on the NBA Canadian players with the best showing this year, so let’s see how they might fare in the playoffs.

DWIGHT POWELL – DALLAS MAVERICKS

The Dallas Mavericks made the playoffs this year with a fourth-place finish in the Western Conference, and Dwight Powell was a key contributor playing in every match, mostly as a starter.

The Canadian was the fifth-best player on the roster in the Player Efficiency Ranking, though fellow centre, Porzingis, managed considerably more points per game across the season.

Powell was the 45th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, having been selected by the Charlotte Hornets. He was then traded several times before the year was out, and he eventually found himself at the Dallas Mavericks.

Dwight Powell has had several strong seasons since then, though, arguably, 2021-22 hasn’t been his best. Even at second best, he’s still been a key asset for the Texan team, and should remain so for their playoff campaign.

ANDREW WIGGINS – GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS

In 2022, Wiggins will be welcomed on the court as a Western Conference starter for his first NBA all-star game with the Golden State Warriors.

You may remember the forward and shooting guard Andrew Wiggins from 2014 when he made history as the second-ever Canadian to be picked as the No. 1 overall in the NBA draft. The forecast was looking good for Wiggins back in 2014, and he won multiple awards for his tenacious playing style, including NBA Rookie of the Year.

Wiggins continued to surpass his own records through the years, and in a 2021 game against the Orlando Magic, the Warriors relied heavily on Wiggins’ eight three pointers, marking the highest of his career to date. It’s looking like this Golden State asset is well on his way to surpassing even more as the season goes on.

SHAI GILGEOUS ALEXANDER – OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER

Toronto native Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has recorded 23.7 points, 5.9 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game for the Oklahoma City Thunder in his third ever season in 2021 – all at the age of 22.

The Charlotte Hornets were the first ever to get Gilgeous-Alexander as the 11th overall pick in the first round in 2018, only to give him up to the Los Angeles Clippers later that same night.

Gilgeous-Alexander moved on to the Thunder in 2019, and both of his former teams had a chance to lament their loss.

The Hornets were pushed out of the winning slot when Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder to a 109–107 victory following a game-winning jump shot in 2019. He pulled the same stunt again when playing against the Clippers in 2021 when he won the game via a three-pointer at the buzzer.

This 22-year-old is only getting better, and anyone who opts to trade him had better watch out.

RJ BARRETT – NEW YORK KNICKS

21-year-old RJ Barrett may be young, but he’s already carved out a name for himself as one of the best Canadians in the NBA. Born in Toronto, this shooting guard and small forward was the third overall pick in 2019, which is when the New York Knicks dressed him in blue and orange and claimed him as their own.

From his NBA debut in the 2019-20 season, Barrett started strong by averaging 14.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in the 56 games he played in, having started in 55 of those.

The Knicks have clearly been impressed with his performance, and they’ve opted to exercise their third-year option to keep Barrett on the team in 2020-21. They’re happy they did, since Barrett has helped lead the team to 37 wins this season, and he’s not showing signs of stopping any time soon.

CHRIS BOUCHER – TORONTO RAPTORS

Chris Boucher is one of three Canadians on the Raptors’ roster, though he’s the only player originally from Toronto. The power forward went undrafted in 2017, and signed for the Golden State Warriors before moving home to the Raptors for the following season.

This timing meant that Boucher won the NBA Championship in both 2018 and 2019, first with the Californian side and then with his home team. It’s hard to top that sort of success – and having started his professional career on a high, you might expect his performance to wane thereafter. On the contrary, Boucher has continued to up his game in each successive season, with 2020-21 setting new personal bests for almost every player metric.

This season hasn’t delivered at the same level, but the 29-year-old has still enjoyed a strong year. The Raptors have also happily secured a spot in the playoffs, so Boucher could help the team to go all the way again in the coming weeks. Here at the sportsbook, we can only hope.

This season hasn’t delivered at the same level, but the 29-year-old has still enjoyed a strong year. The Raptors have also happily secured a spot in the playoffs, so Boucher could help the team to go all the way again in the coming weeks. Here at the sportsbook, we can only hope.

 

2021-22 has been a great year for Canadians in the NBA. Basketball betting fans from north of the border have still got plenty of local heroes to back as we head into the playoffs. Don’t miss a moment of the action – be sure to make your NBA betting picks at Bodog nice and early so you can focus on enjoying the show.

 

Want an insight on the next gen of Canadian NBA stars? Look no further than March Madness 2022 for Bodog’s Top Three Canadian college basketball superstars likely to go pro.