Canada still looks like Team USA’s biggest basketball threat despite Jamal Murray’s inconsistency

Canada’s golden generation in men’s basketball has finally arrived.

What else can you say after NBA MVP finalist Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has paced the Canadians through two convincing Paris Olympics wins over Greece and Australia in Group A? A Canadian roster rife with NBA star and role-player talent looks truly formidable for the first time in decades.

The Canadians look so deep and so strong, in fact, that they might even be able to push heavy favorite Team USA for gold.

And it speaks volumes that they’ve been able to do it while Denver Nuggets star Jamal Murray — someone many believe to be the second-best player for Canada on paper — has struggled mightily so far. That is no small feat:

#TeamCanada beat Australia 93-83 to stay undefeated in Olympic men's basketball.

Candice Ward/COC pic.twitter.com/zJMgG3tUQB

— Team Canada (@TeamCanada) July 30, 2024

To be clear, Canada had a strong roster and chance of medalling in Paris even without Murray. Most of this same group captured the bronze medal at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. They even beat Team USA for that medal — albeit without guys like LeBron James and the sharpshooting Kevin Durant involved. That usually happens when a team of countrymen has clearly defined roles and understands how to play together.

That’s the main problem for Murray, who is shooting just 4/13 (30 percent) with 13 points and eight assists through two Olympic games.

This is the Nuggets guard’s first major international action for Canada in nearly a decade. He doesn’t have the same established chemistry with quality role players like Dillon Brooks and RJ Barrett that Gilgeous-Alexander does. He’s the new guy, trying to fit in, trying to find something that works on a team that doesn’t have anything glaringly broken. Because of that, Murray is also being used in more of a catch-and-shoot role rather than as the primary offensive initiator like he’s accustomed to. That’s a massive adjustment for a player used to making magic happen with the ball constantly in his hands.

When Murray plays—which has been sparingly by his standards to this point—he’s actually coming off the bench, being asked to anchor Canada’s second unit as a facilitator and scorer. It’s a job he does not always thrive in with the Nuggets in Denver, so it’s no shock to see those issues translate to global basketball.

It’s no wonder Murray doesn’t look comfortable so far — because he isn’t.

Jamal Murray has 13 points and 8 assists for Canada in two group stage wins at the Olympics so far. He’s shooting 4/13 from the field and 1/8 from 3pt range while coming off the bench. He looked sharper today against Australia despite poor efficiency, contributed two blocks.

— Bennett Durando (@BennettDurando) July 30, 2024

To Canada’s credit, they haven’t needed Murray to succeed in Paris yet. A team with the second-best gold medal odds (+1000) at BetMGM before the Olympics started has shown it has the chops to go all the way. Even if an upset of the Americans remains unlikely, Canada has probably looked stronger than expected.

That the Canadians have largely done it without a dynamic Murray says a lot. And if he can round into form, then Team USA’s neighbors up north could be cooking with gas.