Canada’s chance at Olympic basketball glory, its first since 2000, arrives this weekend.

On Saturday, Canada men’s basketball begins group play for the 2024 Paris Olympic games. Even with its most talented team in decades, the challenge stands.

Here’s what the Canadians are up against in group play, and what it might take to medal in Paris:

Canada vs Greece basketball: Time, TV channel, streaming for 2024 Paris Olympics

Canada’s Olympic basketball group threats

Australia

Perhaps Canada’s toughest foe in the group. Led by former Thunder guard Josh Giddey, Atlanta wing Dyson Daniels and a handful of other NBA players, the Australians only fell to the United States in a friendly by a couple of possessions. Australia went down swinging, scoring 68 points in the paint and driving Steve Kerr further up his pre-Paris wall.

Australia probably has the best chance of securing any non-Canada bid in Group A. How well it does and whether it upsets Canada will matter for seeding. With Group A being as competitive a group as many across the board, one thing is certain: Remaining undefeated in the end is improbable.

Greece

Led by Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, a one-man wrecking crew and still one of the top three players on Earth, Greece is probably the least threatening team of the group. But Antetokounmpo would be the best player in all but one game in the Paris field. Could he shoulder the Greeks to a win or two in Group A to earn the group’s third possible bid?

It’ll be tricky with teams’ crowded coverage, but above all else, Antetokounmpo should look to dominate opposing frontcourts. Especially those as flimsy as Canada’s.

Spain

Spain isn’t the Spain of old. The Gasol brothers once served as Olympic mosquitoes, eager to draw blood from the Americans’ glory. But Spain’s 2024 group is still enough to make noise in the Paris games.

Led by Memphis forward Santi Aldama and Juancho Hernangomez, Spain still packs a solid punch. Enough to shake up Group A, possibly deliver an upset, and make the group — and tournament seeding — that much more complicated.

Canada's path to gold medal outside of group play

The waters rise at different levels for the three groups in the Paris games.

For the United States, a heavy favorite to win gold, the path to the championship is a kiddie pool. Even with its early flaws, LeBron James and the Americans seem primed to drown an uneven group composed of Latvia, Serbia and South Sudan (though the Sudanese squad’s respect has been earned, not given).

For France, a fair pick to meet the Americans in the gold medal game, group play is a trip to the deep end. There could be some struggle, namely with Germany, led by Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner. In a predictable world, it should lap past Japan and Brazil.

Comparatively, group play for Canada is like swimming with Jaws. It has at least two competitive tournament teams, with at least three capable of upsets in the Paris field.

With such balance in Group A, it would take a dominant showing for any team in the bunch to finish group play as one of the top-two overall seeds. Those that do end up on opposite sides of the bracket, delivering the best path to the gold medal game.

For seeding purposes, if Canada and Australia are to tie in group play, the head-to-head results would be the tiebreaker. Regardless, the top-two teams in each group advance to tournament play. Teams from the same group can't be drawn against each other in the quarterfinals.

Considering the circumstances, France and the United States are likely destined for opposite sides of the bracket. For Canada, it means likely facing at least one en route to a possible gold medal game, and could require defeating both if it wants to hoist gold.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: 2024 Paris Olympics: Team Canada's path to basketball gold medal