Canadian men's basketball team confident in chemistry despite late hiccups ahead of World Cup

After the latest deflating Canadian men's basketball loss, at the last-chance Olympic qualifier in Victoria two years ago, the organization made a commitment to chemistry.

Not long after, 14 players committed to show up whenever they could over a three-year cycle leading into the 2024 Paris Olympics. NBA champion Nick Nurse would be the head coach.

But Nurse stunningly left the team in June, and was swiftly replaced by Sacramento Kings assistant Jordi Fernandez.

And so it was a bit jarring, if not totally surprising, when the first words out of general manager Rowan Barrett's mouth were that the status of Jamal Murray, the Denver Nuggets star coming off an NBA championship run of his own, was in some doubt.

"He's coming very tired. So we've got to really watch him work with our therapy team and make the right decision for him medically as well, but looks good so far," Barrett said.

WATCH | Barrett discusses road to Paris:

The good news is that Murray practised Tuesday and wants to be with the team through the World Cup, which begins Aug. 25 in Jakarta, Indonesia.

And his mere presence has inspired teammates such as Dallas Mavericks veteran centre Dwight Powell.

"That's a huge sacrifice, huge honour and commitment. And I think we all recognize that and we're obviously super excited for his success because that in a lot of ways represents us as a country. So we're happy, super happy for him. Feeling fortunate he's physically able and it's a long grind to go through all the way to the end," Powell said.

"He did what he had to do to be prepared to be here today, and that means a lot."

If Murray's commitment is the signal of a new era after years of last-minute player dropouts, then success should be on deck for the Canadian men, considering the talent pipeline that's formed in recent years.

Starting Tuesday, the best-case scenario would be 41 days together through the World Cup final, with warmup stops in Germany and Spain on the way to the tournament in Asia.

Still, Barrett, who played on the 2000 Olympic team — the last Canadian men's squad to make the Olympics — and who's been GM since 2019, may still carry some scar tissue.

"I'll feel better when we get on the plane going to Germany. But it's good. I think knowing guys are committed, understanding each other a little bit better, having seen each other, played with each other, I think that's good," he said.