TORONTO – There’s still plenty of unknowns for the Canadian men’s national team four months out from this summer’s Olympics.

What will their group look like? Tuesday’s draw revealed one of their three preliminary round opponents – fifth-ranked Australia – but the other two will be determined by a couple of last-chance qualifying tournaments in early July, just a few weeks prior to the opening ceremonies in Paris.

Will Jamal Murray be healthy enough to play? The country’s second-best player opted out of last summer’s FIBA World Cup to manage his body coming off of a championship run with Denver. He’s got an extensive injury history, has battled multiple ailments this season, and is poised to go deep into the playoffs once again.

How will the rest of the roster shake out? If it comes down to it, will Canada Basketball stay true to its word and stick with the Summer Core – 14 players who helped the program get back to the Olympics for the first time in more than two decades – or extend invitations to some of the guys who, for various reasons, couldn’t or wouldn’t commit, most notably Andrew Wiggins?

Despite all of that uncertainty, there’s at least one thing they can bank on: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

It’s been an eventful year for one of the sport’s brightest young superstars. Last summer, he led Canada to a historic bronze-medal finish at the World Cup, helping secure its first Olympic berth in men’s basketball since the 2000 Sydney Games. That was the precursor for what he’s done this season.

The Hamilton, Ont., native has put himself in the MVP conversation with a two-time winner of the award, reigning champion Nikola Jokic, all while elevating an Oklahoma City Thunder team that finished 10th a year ago (and 14th the year before that) to the very top of the Western Conference.

“It’s been a blessing,” Gilgeous-Alexander said upon receiving his Northern Star Award for the best Canadian athlete of 2023 ahead of Friday’s game in Toronto. “A lot of people put in work and do a lot of the right things but aren’t blessed with the opportunities that I’ve been blessed with. So a little bit of it is humbling just to know that everything I’ve done has worked out and paid off. There’s a little bit of luck that’s gone into it. But, yeah, it’s for sure everything a kid could ask for.”

This year could be even more memorable for the 25-year-old. First,........

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