6 NBAers, including Gilgeous-Alexander, set to play on Canada's World Cup qualifying roster

On paper, Canada's men's basketball can take one small step toward the 2024 Paris Olympics over the next week.

In reality, its two games hold slightly more significance.

Canada Basketball announced its training camp roster for a pair of World Cup qualifying contests on Thursday featuring six NBA players including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Oshae Brissett and veteran stalwarts Cory Joseph, Kelly Olynyk and Dwight Powell.

Additionally, five more NBA players — Jamal Murray, RJ Barrett, Dillon Brooks, Luguentz Dort and Khem Birch — will attend training camp but not play.

The team will be led by head coach Nick Nurse.

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The window represents an opportunity for Canada's top players to continue to gel and establish the chemistry the team lacked when it was eliminated from its last-chance Olympic qualifier in Victoria ahead of Tokyo 2020.

Canada will be back in Victoria for a game Thursday against Argentina before heading on the road to play Panama on Monday.

Halfway through World Cup qualifying, Canada sits atop Group E with six wins and no losses. There are two groups made of six countries each — the top three from each group, plus the next-best team, book their tickets to next year's tournament in Japan, the Philippines and Indonesia.

There, the top two teams from the Americas region earn berths to the Olympics. Otherwise, a good-enough finish lands you in a last-chance qualifying tournament.

In other words, Canada's upcoming games remain meaningful, even if a collapse resulting in missing the World Cup is extremely unlikely.

In May, 14 players committed to play when possible for Canada in the three-year cycle