As the 2021 National Basketball Association Playoffs officially started on Saturday, there were three Canadian starters on the 16 teams that made the postseason. Dillon Brooks of Mississauga, Ontario was the starting shooting guard for the Memphis Grizzlies, Tristan Thompson of Brampton, Ontario was the starting center for the Boston Celtics, and R.J. Barrett of Toronto, Ontario, was the starting shooting guard for the New York Knicks.
Barrett averaged 17.6 points per game, 5.8 rebounds per game, and three assists per game in the regular season. He also had a field goal percentage of .441, a three-point percentage of .401, and a free throw percentage of .746. In game one of the Knicks series against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday, Barrett had a double-double as he scored 14 points and had 11 rebounds.
Brooks averaged 17.2 points per game, 2.9 rebounds per game, and 2.3 assists per game in the regular season. He also had a field goal percentage of .419, a three-point percentage of .344, and a free throw percentage of .815. In game one of the Grizzlies series against the Utah Jazz, Brooks was sensational throughout. He had a game-high 31 points as the Grizzlies, the number eight seed in the Western Conference, upset the number one seed Utah Jazz 112-109.
Thompson averaged 8.1 point rebounds per game, and 7.6 points per game in the regular season. He also had a field goal percentage of .518, and a free throw percentage of 592. In game one for the Celtics in their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series against the Brooklyn Nets, Thompson had a team-high 10 rebounds.
