It's finally time for the FIBA Men’s Basketball World Cup 2023 and Canada is ready to go.

After finishing with a FIBA-best 11-1 record in World Cup Qualifiers, and a 3-2 record in their most recent five-game exhibition schedule, the Senior Men’s National Team has just four more days of preparation before they kick things off in Jakarta against France on Friday morning.

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While the team posted a 3-2 record over their five-game exhibition schedule leading into this week, both losses – their first game against Germany and their final game against the Dominican Republic – saw Canada play an extended roster and limit the minutes of their starters. In an 86-81 loss to Germany, no player topped 21 minutes. In the team’s exhibition finale, a 94-88 loss to the Dominican Republic, Canada rested its starters for the second half to give the reserves an extended run. 

Besides these two losses, Canada recorded three victories, starting with a dominant 107-76 win against New Zealand behind 26 points from Gilgeous-Alexander in just 20 minutes. While Canada led by four points after the opening quarter, it was the defensive effort in the second quarter, where Canada outscored New Zealand 39-14, that blew the game open.

During the team’s training camp in Toronto before their exhibition schedule, head coach Jordi Fernández told the media that the team should have the goal of being the best defensive team at the World Cup. 

After the victory against New Zealand, Fernández singled out the defensive performance of the team’s reserves.

“It starts with guys like Dillon [Brooks] and Lu Dort,” Fernández said. “They embrace defence. That sets the tone for everybody else and we can take it to a whole different level. Obviously we have more defenders behind them, but those two guys are amazing. They embrace doing that, they like [playing defence] and playing physical. They set the tone for us.”

Canada’s second win avenged their first exhibition loss as they earned an overtime victory against Germany to win the DBB SuperCup on Germany’s home floor. RJ Barrett was phenomenal, scoring a game-high 31 points while shooting a blistering 13-for-14 from the floor as he led a furious comeback in the final minutes. Canada trailed by five with under a minute remaining until Barrett turned the game upside down, converting a three-point play to get Canada within two and then tying the game on a hard drive to the basket with 10 seconds remaining to send the game into overtime. He continued to score in the extra session, scoring six of Canada’s 12 points in overtime, including the team’s final four points as a block from Kelly Olynyk sealed the victory.

After the victory against Germany, Canada pulled off another overtime victory, this time against Spain, the No. 1 ranked team in the world, as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a team-high 22 points and Barrett once again came up big, this time adding 18 points. 

Gilgeous-Alexander is coming off an NBA season where he was named to the All-NBA First Team after averaging 31.4 points, 5.5 assists, 4.8 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. His presence immediately gives Canada one of the best players in the entire World Cup on their team. When Fernández was announced as the team's head coach in late June, Gilgeous-Alexander was immediately ready to connect with his new coach and get the team group chats fired up. After spending the week of training camp watching how Gilgeous-Alexander controlled the floor and led the team, Fernández was impressed with how naturally leadership comes to the NBA All-Star.

National Team veterans Olynyk and Dwight Powell were also instrumental against the experienced Spanish squad. Olynyk stuffed the stat sheet and finished with 11 points, six assists, five rebounds and three blocks, while Powell grabbed a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double.

The duo shone for Canada together and individually on both ends of the floor as their chemistry and leadership gave Canada extra possessions and easy baskets. The experience that Powell and Olynyk bring to the roster cannot be taught. While Canada’s World Cup team will be relatively young, the veterans who will be representing Canada in Jakarta provide a steadying presence that was on display during the exhibition games.

As the exhibition schedule went on, the team’s defence got better through each game as they continued building the identity that Fernández set the blueprint of in camp.

With seven NBA players on Canada’s roster, only Australia and the United States have more NBA players suiting up for the World Cup. Canada has plenty of star power on its roster, but equally important is the depth that made up its reserves on the exhibition schedule roster. The mix of first-timers with veterans like Powell and Olynyk will only help a Canadian team that is appearing in its first Men’s Basketball World Cup since finishing 21st in China in 2019.

Heading into final preparations before Friday’s game, Fernández is feeling confident that his team is ready. Perhaps even more important, he knows they will compete until the final buzzer sounds against any opponent in any game.

“I think we’re ready to go,” Fernández said. “I think that we still have work to do and that’s to be expected. We don't have experience in this kind of tournament as a group, and we’re young, but I trust the guys in the way that they’ve been working. I know we’re going to go there and fight every single game.

“All you can do is give yourselves a chance and right now, this group, I have no doubt in my mind we’ll accomplish what we’re going to do.”