Luka Doncic won’t be Canada’s only problem in World Cup quarterfinal matchup

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The Can’t-Win-The-One-You-Have-To-Win label no longer is affixed to Canada’s senior men’s basketball team.

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That was dispatched early Sunday morning in Jakarta as Canada kept its composure and found a way to come back from two double-digit deficits in the second half to not only advance to the quarterfinals of the FIBA World Cup, but also secure a berth in next summer’s Olympics in Paris.

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It was a program-altering win for the Canadians, who time after time have shown up at these international events with the talent to impose their will, only to be let down in the worst possible manner.

That is history now. Old news, some other team’s baggage for them to carry now.

Now, Canada has firmly cemented its spot among the best in the world at basketball and have a chance to strengthen that hold with a good showing in Manila the rest of this week.

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First up is a test of the highest magnitude on Tuesday against Slovenia (9:30 a.m., Sportsnet) but, in reality, every test for the remainder of this World Cup run is going to huge.

Slovenia, like Canada, boasts one of the two best players in the tournament. Wearing the Maple Leaf is, of course, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Carrying the Slovenian team — and we do mean carrying — is none other than Luka Doncic, the 24-year-old Dallas Mavericks four-time all-NBA player.

Gilgeous-Alexander and Doncic have fully lived up to their pre-tournament hype. Doncic leads the World Cup averaging 26.4 points per game, but also leads his team in assists (6.6), rebounds (7.4) and shooting percentage (44.2) while playing 30.6 minutes a game.

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Gilgeous-Alexander is fifth among scorers through the first two rounds, averaging 23.8 points per game to go along with 5.2 assists, 6.6 rebounds and a stunning 52.7% field goal percentage given the number of mid-range shots and three pointers he attempts.

But as Gilgeous-Alexander pointed out to reporters on Tuesday, this is not a Shai vs. Luka contest. This is Canada vs. Slovenia.

Slovenia does rely more on Doncic than Canada relies on Gilgeous Alexander. Doncic has accounted for just shy of 30% of Slovenia’s scoring by himself, not to mention the scoring opportunities he created with his passing and rebounding.

Gilgeous-Alexander has scored just under a quarter of Canada’s points (24.9%), but is surrounded by capable NBA players like Dillon Brooks, R.J. Barrett, Lu Dort, Kelly Olynyk, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Dwight Powell — any one of whom is able to go off at a moment’s notice.

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The names sharing the court with Doncic aren’t quite as recognizable to North Americans, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t capable in international play.

Mike Tobey, a naturalized Slovenian who was born in the U.S., has quietly made a name for himself in his adopted country with his play internationally since 2020. The 260-pound, seven-footer has a body made for international basketball and will be tough on a Canadian team that is undersized at the centre position, unless they opt to go with the very green Leaside native Zach Edey, who is coming off an NCAA player of the year season with Purdue.

At 7-foot-4, Edey would overcome that size discrepancy and then some, but his lack of experience and youth could counteract that.

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That will be a decision for Canada’s coaching staff.

The 28-year-old Tobey played alongside Malcolm Brogdon at Virginia and played two games in the NBA with Charlotte before making his way to Europe, where he has carved out a nice career.

Tobey has been a force on the offensive boards for Slovenia, pulling down 2.6 a game. Rebounding has been problematic for Canada throughout the tournament.

Slovenia has been the tournament’s top mid-range scoring team, shooting 65.2% from inside the arc, while Canada has been a 40.3% shooting team from beyond the arc.

Defensively, Canada would appear to have an advantage with both Brooks and Dort to throw at Doncic and perhaps slow him down. Slovenia, meanwhile, does not have an above-average defender, but does have a much more experienced FIBA team than Canada.

The focus, though, will be on Gilgeous-Alexander and Doncic, the two highest-profile players at this World Cup.

The winner will advance to the semifinals, where it will take on a Serbian team that is progressing nicely without star Nikola Jokic. Atlanta sharpshooter Bogdan Bogdanovic led the Serbian team past Lithuania 87-68 with a game-high 21 points in its quarterfinal on Tuesday.

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