Andrew Nembhard leads Canada men to perfect group stage at Paris Olympics

You know Canada has made it in international basketball when we can sit here and nitpick a 3-0 finish in the toughest overall group in the men’s Olympic tournament.

For the second summer in a row, Canada has beat Spain 88-85 in a major tournament, sending home the No. 2 team in the world. Last year at the FIBA World Cup, Canada came from behind to win, with heroic performances from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dillon Brooks. This time, they had to hold on, with Gilgeous-Alexander and Andrew Nembhard making enough plays to get Canada to the finish line.

Still, because the game was so close, Canada is likely headed for a tough quarterfinal game on Tuesday. Canada finished group play with a plus-20 point differential, which will seed them below the other two group winners unless the United States loses to Puerto Rico on Saturday (haha).

That means Canada will wind up playing France in the quarterfinals unless the United States loses or Serbia loses to South Sudan. (The latter result would have everyone pulling out their calculators.) France has not been impressive in the tournament, with a narrow win over Japan and a blowout loss to Germany on Friday, it still hands two game-changing 7-footers and a massive home-court advantage.

That is the cost of being in the only group in the tournament that is unlikely to produce an 0-3 team. Group A seemed like the toughest, one through four, at the start of the tournament, and it has played out that way. Going 3-0 in the group is still a massive accomplishment.

Here is what stood out from the win.

Andrew Nembhard, Canadian lifejacket

Canadian coach Jordi Fernández insisted that he would not over-tax his starters heading into the tournament. He thought that was a reason Canada struggled defensively last summer, and he wanted to keep his team fresh for the biggest moments in the biggest games.

He lived up to that. Canada closed both the first and third quarters with five-man bench units. Gilgeous-Alexander led all Canadians, playing just 27 minutes. Gilgeous-Alexander and RJ Barrett both played 30-plus minutes in the opener against Greece, but those are the only two instances in which a Canadian played more than three quarters of a game. Fernández hoped Canada’s depth would allow him to keep minutes down across the board. All Fernández’s players should be fresh for what the team hopes is a sprint of three games in six days.

The bench hasn’t been consistent, but Nembhard, a former Gonzaga standout, has turned into the most important reserve for the team. He hit two well-covered 3s in the second quarter to salvage some poor possessions, and made a big jumper down the stretch to give Gilgeous-Alexander some help in closing the game. Nembhard often kept Canada afloat.

Nembhart finished with 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting. He probably has a case to play in big moments instead of Jamal Murray down the stretch of elimination games, unless Fernández chooses to go really small and play both alongside Gilgeous-Alexander. Regardless, Canadian fans should be happy the program bent some self-imposed rules to include Nembhard on this team.

Canada’s large flaw

A quick glance at the Canadian roster tells you the team has a size problem. Not that Zach Edey would have had a huge role, but he was the one space-eating, rebound-devouring dude Canada could have used to take care of its own glass. Without him, Canada relies on the mobility of Dwight Powell and Khem Birch more than the height of former Gonzaga standout Kelly Olynyk.

Canada got crushed on the boards against Spain. Spain grabbed 17 of its 38 misses, and nearly got a few missed free throws, too. It was understandable late in the game, when Canada was switching liberally to close off the paint, resulting in mismatches down low. But Canada surrendered nine of those rebounds in the first half.

Canada made some plays on the glass when necessary – most notably when Barrett drew a loose-ball foul on Spain’s Jaime Pradilla with a solid box out with 3:24 to go, resulting in two free throws. With Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert likely waiting on Tuesday, Canada needs to nail things down on the glass.

The destructive duo

The biggest advantage Canada has over the rest of the world, save for the United States: International guards cannot reliably puncture the perimeter defence of Luguentz Dort and Brooks. Throw in the defensive playmaking instincts of Gilgeous-Alexander, Nembhard and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and I’m not sure how Canada opponents averaged 82.3 points per game in the group stage. (The above section has something to do with it.) The perimeter defence of Dort and Brooks was a big reason why Spain managed just 56 points through the first 30 minutes.

Anyway, it is so enjoyable to watch Dort and Brooks play together that I solicited suggestions for a nickname for the pairing over on good ol’ X. Given the event, here are my favourite submissions.

Captain Canada, still valuable

I thought Olynyk would have a bigger role on this team. If I had to guess, Fernández doesn’t totally trust him to be the last line of defence, which is understandable. He is one of the least effective rim-protectors in the NBA, and doesn’t have the shiftiness of Powell, Birch or Trey Lyles. He played 33 minutes, or about 11 per game, in the group stage. He is ninth on the team in minutes.

There is still a place for him, though. In the second quarter, Spain used a zone against Canada. Gilgeous-Alexander worked hard to get the ball to Olynyk in the high post – and there wasn’t a big window for the past. As soon as he got it, Gilgeous-Alexander’s man collapsed on Olynyk, trying to cause a turnover. Olynyk made the pass back out to Gilgeous-Alexander for a clean 3, the kind of look Canada rarely got against Spain.

That was Olynyk’s only assist of group play. He made just two of his 10 shots. He is still one of the savviest big man passe