Three Canadian NBA players that hope to make their country proud in the NBA playoffs

Posted on by

Canadians love the NHL playoffs; it’s must watch TV at this time of the year. Sometimes even I forget the NBA playoffs are on (especially during the 1st round) but basketball playoff games are arguably almost as exciting as the NHL playoffs during the important highlight moments.

In a sport dominated by American-born players, you need to appreciate and keep an eye on how Canadian-born players are doing in the NBA playoffs, especially those who hope to make a big impact for their team like Jamal Murray, RJ Barrett, and Dillon Brooks. Getting an understanding for how our Canadians are doing in the NBA helps us appreciate the game more!

The first, and arguably the best Canadian basketball player that is in the NBA playoffs right now is Denver Nugget’s Jamal Murray. Nicknamed “Blue Arrow” or “Glitch,” Murray is a personal favourite player of mine because of the smooth playing style he brings every night on the court.

Murray is on the number one seed Nuggets who are trying to overcome their playoff failures from the past few years. He is a talented player who is a warrior for battling back from a torn ACL injury in 2021 and is most likely on a team with one of the best chances of winning the NBA Championship.

Another young and talented Canadian basketball player is New York Knicks’ RJ Barrett. RJ has what I think are some the coolest nicknames, and he has quite a few, including “Maple Mamba, “Broadway Barrett” and “Duke of York” to name just a few. Barrett is another player you can’t help but hope succeeds as he excelled in college on a stacked Duke team.

Barrett’s Knicks team isn’t expected to go too far in the playoffs, but he is hoping to help get the Knicks past the first round for the first time in quite a few years. I think Barrett presents an “x-factor” quality to him which can change the outcome of a game if he is doing what he does best.

One more impactful Canadian basketball player is Memphis Grizzlies’ Dillon Brooks. Dillion doesn’t have any big-time nicknames like Murray and Barrett do, but he is known for something else: his “arrogant” on and off court actions. You still hope for success for Brooks, but he is a player that seems to be an easy target to hate around the league because of his attitude towards other players and his approach to the game.

The Memphis Grizzlies have a chance to make some noise in the playoffs, but they have to play one of the GOATs of basketball in the first round: LeBron James.

There’s many more Canadians looking to make an impact in the NBA playoffs, but all three of these Canadian basketball players have their own unique reputations within the NBA and it will be exciting to see who can help make their team (and Canada) proud!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *