Canada are one of the most intriguing teams in the upcoming 2023 FIBA World Cup. Although they have yet to announce the composition of their roster, it’s hard to imagine the team going to Indonesia without Jamal Murray being part of the team, especially after the show he put up from start to finish of the 2023 NBA Finals with the Denver Nuggets.

However, Murray missing the biggest basketball event this year appears to be a real possibility, as he apparently still is in the recovery process from the grind of the NBA postseason.

Via Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports:

“Canada Basketball opened its camp in Toronto today. NBA champ Jamal Murray is among the 18 players participating but GM Rowan Barrett says they’re monitoring his workload coming off a long season before making a call on his status. Sounds like his World Cup avail is in doubt.”

It is also possible that the Canadian team is simply being extra careful with Murray, who missed the entire 2021-22 NBA season because of an ACL injury. He also appeared in only 65 games in the 2022-23 campaign, as the Nuggets got him regular rest days. In the playoffs, Murray generated 26.1 points per game and averaged 5.7 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game.

At the moment, it’s safe to say that Murray’s status for the World Cup is in the balance. In the event that he ultimately gets ruled out of the event, Canada should still look formidable with guys like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Luguentz Dort, and Cory Joseph among the other guards part of the training camp.

Team Canada in the 2023 FIBA World Cup

Canada are in Group H of the 2023 FIBA World Cup, lumped in together with Latvia, Lebanon, and France. Those countries will play their group-stage games in Indonesia. Canada are scheduled to play France first before taking on Lebanon. Their last match will be against Latvia.

Canada have odds of +380 to be the last team standing in the World Cup.