Trail Blazers News: Portland Reserve In Running For Olympic Slot With National Team

Alex Kirschenbaum | Apr 18, 2024

Mar 23, 2024; Portland, Oregon, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. (1) attempts a shot / Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports

Promising young Portland Trail Blazers reserve point guard Dalano Banton has a shot to keep the good times rolling past his breakout run in the Pacific Northwest during the second half of the 2023-24 season.

That's because he has a shot to play in the Paris Olympics this summer for his native Team Canada, per Libaan Osman of The Toronto Star. His play with the Blazers has endeared himself to the Canadian men's basketball team's radar, Osman reports.

Ahead of the FIBA World Cup in the 2023 offseason, the national team reportedly had exploratory talks with Banton about playing for Canada then. Banton demurred at the time, hoping to prioritize his next NBA season. The 6'9" guard did suit up for Team Canada during the 2022 FIBA AmeriCup.

 “The Olympics, guys dream of this,” Banton reflected. “It’s an opportunity a lot of Canadians don’t want to pass up if you do play basketball. There’s only a certain amount of spots, so guys gotta work for their spots … I’m ready to go compete for a spot, for sure.”

During his 30 games (eight starts) with the Trail Blazers this past season, the 24-year-old out of the University of Nebraska averaged 20.6 points on .408/.311/.780 shooting splits, 5.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.7 blocks a night.