Starting a Canadian Basketball Invasion?

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The two highest Canadian NBA Draft selections ever have been made by the Cavaliers. Thursday night, Anthony Bennett became the first to go No. 1 overall.

In a way, that’s purely coincidence.

In another, though, it’s all part of the plan.

Canada doesn’t have a ton of basketball tradition, but in guys like Bennett, Tristan Thompson and 2014 top-pick candidate Andrew Wiggins, it’s had some very talented basketball exports. This run of NBA Draft picks that began with the Cavaliers selecting Thompson at No. 4 in 2011 comes a few years after these talented Canadians started coming to America as teenagers to seek out better coaching and competition and to chase their NBA dreams.

The selection of Bennett — who only took up basketball in middle school — proves they’re on a fast track.

“It’s crazy,” Bennett said. “It’s on the rise (in Canada).”