Hornets passed on a budding Canadian last draft; his cousin an option this time?

As Nickeil Alexander-Walker prepared for his first pre-draft workout Thursday night, he couldn’t help but think what was happening up north.

Alexander-Walker is from Ontario, and he knows the raised perception of Canadian basketball works in his favor. There has never been a bigger night for Canadian basketball than Thursday in Toronto, when the Raptors hosted Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors.

“Watching that game, I was thinking, ‘Man, I wish I was home — just to see the city erupt!’” Alexander-Walker said of the Raptors’ victory. “Seeing how basketball is evolving, with players from the greater Toronto area, and with the Raptors? It’s a great time to be alive.”

Alexander-Walker, a 6-5 combo guard who played at Virginia Tech, auditioned for the Charlotte Hornets on Friday. He’s part of a golden era for Canadian basketball; NBA Commissioner Adam Silver mentioned Friday that Canada is second only to the United States in numbers on the league’s rosters: 13 active players, including Alexander-Walker’s cousin, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was second team All-Rookie.

Gilgeous-Alexander was technically a Hornets draftee: Charlotte selected him 11th overall a year ago, then immediately traded him to the Los Angeles Clippers for Miles Bridges and two second-round picks.

The cousins are similar: Long, slim bodies, and versatile on defense. Gilgeous-Alexander is more of a point guard, while Alexander-Walker is probably the better perimeter shooter.

They seem to share a cerebral approach and a sophisticated grasp of the sport’s angles. Alexander-Walker said that reflects how they were both coached in Ontario.

“Fundamentals. Really think the game,” said Alexander-Walker, who averaged 16.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and four assists last season. “Proving that Canadians can play as well. I feel like (succeeding at) basketball is 90 percent mental. You think the game the way we do, play with confidence. That’s how to show your true ability.”

Alexander-Walker knows Canadians haven’t always had this credible perception in NBA circles. Guys like Leo Rautins and former Hornet Jamaal Magloire helped change that, as did Hornets lead assistant coach Jay Triano. Now, Canadians such as Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, Andrew Wiggins of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Gilgeous-Alexander are having impact.

Duke’s R.J. Barrett makes it a lock that another Canadian will be a lottery pick in this NBA draft. Can Alexander-Walker make it two, possibly with the Hornets’ No. 12 selection?

He agreed to work out in the same group Friday as another possible lottery pick, North Carolina’s Nassir Little. Sometimes likely first-rounders duck that sort of competition in draft preparations, figuring they have more to lose than gain.

Alexander-Walker relished the challenge.

“You get to prove yourself — sink-or-swim. You want to be able to say you went against the best,” he said.

“To be a lottery pick, you want to earn that right.”