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#CanBall Weekly: NBA talent now tasked with meeting rising expectations

Cory Joseph, Andrew Wiggins, and Tristan Thompson
Cory Joseph, Andrew Wiggins, and Tristan Thompson

(A weekly look at the Canadian basketball landscape, from the NBA to the grassroots.)

Just a couple years ago, it was cute.

"Oh look, Steve Nash isn't the only Canadian making an impact in the NBA anymore, that's cool," was a common refrain inside and outside of Canada.

Well, now that Nash has retired after an outstanding 18-year career that will land him in the the Hall of Fame, the next generation truly moves into the spotlight. With 12 Canadians in the league, the most of any nation other than the United States, it's already time for them to shine, or at the very least, show significant improvement.

It starts with Andrew Wiggins, who along with 2015 No. 1 pick Karl-Anthony Towns, is tasked with bringing the Timberwolves back to prominence. That process is in its infancy, but Wiggins' progress will continue to be monitored keenly. Tristan Thompson, fresh off signing a five-year, $82 million contract extension after a lengthy holdout, is seen as an integral piece of the Cleveland Cavaliers' championship pursuit. Cory Joseph joined the Toronto Raptors as a free agent in the offseason. After being mostly a reserve in four seasons with the San Antonio Spurs – winning the NBA title in 2014 – Joseph is the sixth man in Toronto and is being used as a crucial crunch-time player closing out games. Kelly Olynyk enters his third season with the  Celtics intent on solidifying his status as an NBA regular and get Boston to the playoffs for a second straight year.

Anthony Bennett, the former No. 1 overall pick who landed with his hometown Raptors after being cut loose by the Timberwolves, is the exception rather than the rule when it comes to urgency for meeting expectations.

There's Nik Stauskas with the 76ers and Tyler Ennis with the Bucks, two first-round picks from last year trying to settle into new situations after being traded as rookies. Dwight Powell is making a name for himself as an effective energy player with the Mavericks while Trey Lyles, the lone rookie of the bunch, is getting an opportunity in Utah to show what he can do with a few minutes a game.

In less than three years Andrew Nicholson has gone from effective role player to often unused in Orlando. Could a change of scenery be what he needs to get his career back on track? Joel Anthony, a longtime favourite of Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy, won't play much but his role as a veteran mentor for Andre Drummond is pivotal to Detroit's future. And last but not least, Lakers centre Robert Sacre, one of the game's great characters and personalities, is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year and looking to earn another contract.

The number of Canadians in the NBA continues to grow and with that comes a growing set of demands. As they should. It illustrates just how far basketball has come in a short time in this country.

Is Carleton still the team to beat?

After a summer of sweeping change at Canada's preeminent men's basketball program, is this the year the Carleton Ravens' reign comes to an end? Head coach Dave Smart is on a sabbatical, replaced on the Carleton bench by his nephew Rob. He's not the only notable absentee, either. Phil and Thomas Scrubb graduated soon after winning a fifth straight national championship last March and are now playing professionaly in Europe. Without Smart and the Scrubb brothers around, there's a feeling a new CIS champion could emerge this year.

Ottawa, the runner-up to Carleton the last two years, came in at No. 1 in the first coaches poll of the season. Carleton is No. 2, but No. 3 McGill and No. 4 Brock also received multiple first-place votes. They are the top contenders for Carleton's crown. But even though a few familiar faces won't be there for the Ravens this year, it's a good bet they aren't going to cede their throne without a fight.

Nurse ready for a repeat with UConn

What will Kia Nurse do for an encore? In her first year with the Connecticut Huskies, the 19-year-old guard from Hamilton, Ont, helped UConn take home their third straight NCAA national title. She followed that up with a wonderful run with the Canadian women's national team in the summer, leading them to gold at the Pan Am Games and the FIBA Americas Championship, the latter triumph earning Canada a spot at the 2016 Olympics.

Nurse is back at UConn for her sophomore season and the Huskies are unsurprisingly ranked No. 1 to start the preseason and are once again the overwhelming favourite to be national champions.

6-PACK OF COLD SHOTS:

1. McMaster opens the 2015-16 season as the top-ranked women's team in CIS, receiving 28 of 31 first-place votes. The defending CIS champion Windsor Lancers are No. 9.

2. Raptors 905, the new D-League affiliate for the Toronto Raptors, played their inaugural home game Sunday, losing to the Erie Bayhawks 102-83. The 905 roster includes Brampton, Ont., native Sim Bhullar, who played for the Sacramento Kings at the end of the 2014-15 season. Keanau Post and Ashton Smith are the other Canadians on the team The 905's first regular season game is Nov. 14.

3. After getting off to a bit of a slow start, Andrew Wiggins scored 31 points in Minnesota's OT win Saturday over the Bulls. He followed that up by tying his career-high with 33 points Tuesday in a win against Atlanta to improve the Timberwolves to 4-2 this season.

4. Jamal Murray made his Kentucky debut last week and didn't take long to show why he was such a sought-after recruit. The 18-year-old guard from Kitchener, Ont., scored 22 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and dished out nine assists in a 117-58 Wildcats win over Ottawa University (Kansas) on Nov. 2 and went for 20 points in a 111-58 win over Kentucky State on Nov. 6.

5. ESPN's Celtics reporter Chris Forsberg wrote a great feature on Kelly Olynyk and why he's an analytics darling.

6. Gonzaga's Kyle Wiltjer was the leading vote-getter for the Associated Press All-American preseason first team.

More from Yahoo Canada Sports:

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Israel Fehr is a writer for Yahoo Canada Sports. Email him at israelfehr@yahoo.ca or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr