What If The Sixers Were Avengers?

Feb 27, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward

(white jacket) reacts with team mates after a score against the Washington Wizards during the second half at Wells Fargo Center. The 76ers defeated the Wizards 89-81. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

What If The Sixers Were Avengers?

So after the news of Joel Embiid‘s long awaited surgery broke yesterday, I found myself exhausted from the effort of trying to pull together information of what was, is, and likely will be the rehabilitation of a player many once considered the keystone of general manager Sam Hinkie’s plan to rebuild the team into a perennial post-season participant.

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So I sat down and popped in a meaningless video to watch and found myself mesmerized by the film of a wide range of individual superheroes who attempt to group up and save the planet.  At first, the group is pretty much at each other’s throats, but eventually they find a cause that unites them, they learn how to perform as a team, and they succeed in saving the earth.

Which is why I am here to write this article.

But the wheels never stop turning.   What if the Philadelphia 76ers had to form themselves as the Avengers?  Could they?  Which player would be which superhero?

Let’s have some fun and see how this plays out?

Next: ANTMAN

Jul 11, 2015; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard

(55) keeps the ball away from Los Angeles Lakers guard Xavier Munford (14) during an NBA Summer League game at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Pierre Jackson as ANTMAN

This was too easy, wasn’t it? After all, the 5’10” 178 pound Pierre “Pappy Jack” Jackson gets the nod simply for the normal height in a tall man’s game.  But if you have seen the movie Antman, you know its not just a guy with special powers that kicks the butt of some baddies.

The theme of the storyline centers around a good-hearted man who suffers a setback.   Faced with the struggles of trying to make a go of things , he needs to make some hard choices about who he is and what he stands for.  Of course, that decision involves a special suit, ant allies, and a super villain… but the basic theme stands.

So too did Pappy Jack face a setback.   Following the setback, he had some hard choices to make.   His rehab schedule was strenuous and lengthy, and his eventual contract to sign with the 76ers was by no means guaranteed.  But he chose the high road, dedicated himself to train and re”fix” himself, and is now poised to compete, and perhaps earn, the starting point guard position of the team.

If you haven’t seen the movie, it’s worth the price of admission.  If you haven’t seen Pappy Jack, I can help you out there:

With the first supehero on the team, who do you guess will be next?

Next: THE INCREDIBLE HULK

Jul 11, 2015; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center

(8) shoots during an NBA Summer League game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Jahlil Okafor as The INCREDIBLE HULK

Jahlil SMASH! Okay… not the same ring to it. But when we’re talking sheer power, I don’t think there are many in the NBA who can stand toe to toe with Jahlil Okafor. He brings a raw “old school” style of game that truly bears a great deal of resemblance to that played by former 76er great Moses Malone.

The accident that turned mild mannered Bruce Banner into the green rage monster changed his life forever.  And without the rage, he was a brilliant scientist in his own right.  But when powered up, he was one of the most dominant physical forces in the Marvel Universe.

But is Jahlil powerful?  Let’s let youtube do the talking:

Jahlil Okafor may not be gamma powered, nor a rage monster, but I don’t hesitate to claim he is the most intimidating physical force on the Philadelphia 76ers.   You see, he plays the post, that invaluable real estate under the basket where big bodies collide like asteroids.  And does he have moves?  You bet.  But where does a big hulking guy learn such poise, such balance?

"​“People will say now on TV, Oh, my god, how does he have such great footwork for a big man? It’s because he’s been doing these drills for five years. Jahlil is not by happenstance. He’s by design.” – Okafor trainer Rick Lewis"

Jahlil met up with Rick Lewis in February 2010 based on a recommendation to his parents by a friend. The Okafors were immediately impressed with Lewis’ plan for their son. Lewis was an admirer of classic big men: Olajuwon, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Ralph Sampson, Patrick Ewing and Tim Duncan. The plan for Jahlil was to draw on those influences to make him a complete, throwback center—and it started with his feet. And that meant cones on a gym floor, each year.

It was destiny that placed Bruce Banner into the path of gamma radiation.  It was destiny that placed Jahlil Okafor in the path of Rick Lewis.   In either case, the result is a force to be reckoned with!

Next: HAWKEYE

Mar 25, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Sacramento Kings guard

(10) against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center. The Kings defeated the Suns 108-99. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Nik Stauskas as HAWKEYE

Nik Stauskas made a bad first impression in the NBA. The impression was so bad that the Sacramento Kings packaged him in a salary dump deal only a year after using their first round draft pick – at eight – to acquire his services in 2014.    He was a young man desperate to cut a niche of playing time from the roster of a Kings team that had entrenched players.

So too did Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye make a poor first impression at first with those Avengers.  Mind controlled, he played for the wrong team for nearly the first half of the movie.  It wasn’t until he had an “AHA!” moment that he cleared his head and began to fight the good fight with his teammates.  His power?  Long range precision with arrows that do everything from hack a computer to blow up a Norse God to slay a score of invading aliens.

Stauskas is just now shaking his head from his own “AHA!” moment now that he’s gone from a bad to worse team.  It’s his long range accuracy that this team needs desperately from him.  In his first NBA season, his collegiate 44% accuracy from three pointerville fell to a pedestrian 32%.  What did he have? It’s right here on youtube

Can he get it back? Bet on it.  The Sixers have a young roster and Stauskas brings a skill-set that is not readily apparent on the team right now.  He’s now playing on the right team, and the team has a clear role for him. Focus. He can now focus.

Next: CAPTAIN AMERICA

Apr 8, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Washington Wizards center

(4) shoots the ball past Philadelphia 76ers center

(4) during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Nerlens Noel is CAPTAIN AMERICA

Nerlens Noel was on ice for a year after joining the Sixers. He was unable to do anything while his knee healed, and he rehabbed his joint to withstand the strenuous efforts of playing in the NBA.

Steve Rodgers was on ice for a lot longer time. After defeating the Red Skull, he crash landed a bomber into an ice field in the Arctic Ocean until he was rescued, just in time, to join the Avengers. He continues to be a key member of the group, despite the rotation of members on the team.

Is that all that links these two? I’m glad you asked. Captain America benefited from a “super soldier” formula, and used an impenetrable shield. That shield was so impervious, it even blocked killing shots from Asgardian Thor’s Hammer.

Nerlens Noel may not have an impenetrable shield, and he doesn’t often face the Asgardian hammer Mjolnir, but he does block shots. Plenty of shots.   Check out this 12 block performance:

But Captain America was not JUST blocking powerful blasts. He had an offense too. What does Noel have? While not as heralded as his defensie, Noel is quietly becoming quite adept on the offenive side as well.

"“All these thousands and thousands of reps we’ve gotten up over this past year and a half when I wasn’t playing… I just didn’t have the confidence I needed,” said Noel. “But now it’s coming around, and I’m just making sure that I can go out there and knock them down.”"

It’s not just a jumper, but the second-year big man has improved at the free-throw line. In 24 games at Kentucky, he shot 52.9% on free throws, and over his first 44 games as a pro he made 52.6%. In the month of February 2015 he’s converted 31 of his 41 free-throw attempts, good for 75.6%.

"(His improvement) is huge, and it has come with a year’s worth of work. If you look his shot now compared to when he came from Kentucky back when, it’s just not even close, and I credit him. Even when he misses, you see him, he looks so confident stepping to the line and receiving a ball from a referee. He’s got his routine, he’s got his whole system in place, and he steps up with tremendous confidence… And then to see a little bit of carryover that we thought was going to happen to his 18-foot shot, with his form and his confidence, we’re seeing the early days, the early stages of him growing his game. And it’s going to help him compliment Joel Embiid, and it’s going to help him in general.” – Brett Brown"

He’s learning to play with the big boys, and he’s succeeding.

Next: FALCON

Apr 8, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Washington Wizards guard

(3) falls with the ball after getting tangled up with Philadelphia 76ers forward

(39) during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Jerami Grant is The FALCON

Well you knew this had to be Jerami Grant’s slot, but why the Falcon?

The Falcon fits him because Jerami Grant doesn’t have any one “power” or skill that places him atop a category. Rather it is his blend of skills, courage, and shot taking improvement that keeps him in the mix on this developing roster.

Jerami Grant, much like the Falcon, made a series of cameo appearances with the Sixers last season, and we were there to follow the action. While he has not achieved a status of fan favorite, he has certainly earned some raised eye brows from the writing staff as we have continued to monitor his play.

In the Marvel universe, the Falcon  is Sam Wilson, a US military veteran who is the last member of a special ops group who employed personal military winged jet pack.  Not super formula, gamma irradiated, or even an exceptionally good aim, Falcon uses his aerial acrobatics to keep his opponent off balance.  Falcon is not perfect, losing his flying in “The Winter Soldier” after Bucky Barnes rips one of his wings off.  He is defeated by Antman as well in his opening film.

But Wilson has a myopic memory. Defeated once, he comes back into the fracas even more determined.

So too has Jerami Grant used setbacks to find renewed determination.  He can block shots.  He can score.  He can feed the ball to the open man.  Now all he needs to do is improve his game.

Next: What's Going To Get Philadelphia 76ers Fans Back To The Wells Fargo Center?

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