Which Star Wars characters would these Philadelphia 76ers be?

With the continued popularity of Star Wars movies rivaling that of the Philadelphia 76ers, it’s only a matter of time before comparisons are made. Which Star Wars character correlates to which Sixer?

Okay, the Philadelphia 76ers are good. In relative terms of recent teams, this group is on par with Jedi Knights.  Stretch of the imagination? Perhaps, but work with me here.  We know that the Star Wars universe has just released a new gangbusters movie which will call into action new plot twists and turns known to date.  But let’s imagine for a minute that the Philadelphia 76ers, rather than the Jedi Knights, had to answer the call to defend the universe against the Sith. If that were the case, who would the Philadelphia 76ers counterparts be in Star Wars?

Yes, of course, this has nothing to do with rotations, box-score stats, or team direction.  But too much left-lobed thought processes make you dull and this holiday season… boring.  So get with the spirit of the season, Mr. Scrooge!  There is a significant movie event out there.  If you haven’t taken time to laugh and spend time with your family, here is your shot.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi debuts

To encourage the quality time with loved ones, I’ll set you up with a segue between the NBA and Star Wars: The Last Jedi. After all, Star Wars has been undertaking a period of … rebuilding as well. Creating new characters, sitting in phase two. So what do the main Star Wars characters feel about this comparison?

Well there you have it. Even Star Wars has learned to “Trust The Process”. That’s good enough for me.

Kylo Ren:  Jahlil Okafor

Since the beginning of Joel Embiid‘s career, everyone in the Philadelphia 76ers universe knew that Jahlil Okafor had an uphill battle to remain with the team.  After all, he gave in to anger even while under the tutelage of Sam Hinkie and Brett Brown.  As you may recall, it was Jahlil Okafor and Christian Wood who were involved in the incident in Boston after losing to the Celtics.  That outburst of anger is not a Jedi Knight trait, but one which characterizes the Sith. And so, the conversion of Jahlil Okafor began.

Philadelphia 76ers, a.k.a. Jedi Knights, use their force, high talent and versatility, to win games.  Okafor’s talents never reached a level of versatility allowing him to join his fellow Jedi on the court this season.

Okafor offense

Now, this is not to say he is not strong in the NBA basketball force. He is a significant offensive force to be reckoned with.  Much like the Sith, he is at home on offense, pressing the advantage with his big bodied physicality to move objects and score points. Now that he plays for the other side, the Brooklyn Nets, there is little hope that he can be turned back to the light.

He is lost to Philadelphia 76ers fans now, supporters of the Jedi Order. He is still learning his Sith powers, but he may come back to challenge the 76ers dominance at some future time. And much like Kylo Ren, Jahlil Okafor will remain a major character for years to come.  He came into the NBA as a Philadelphia 76ers. Angry, abandoned, his future will likely intersect that of his former teammates again and again.

Finn : J.J. Redick

Finn is the inverse of Jahlil Okafor. Once a member of the “Other Guys”, he has since joined the Rebel cause ever since donning the clothing of a rebel. While Finn wore a rebel jacket, J.J. Redick signed up in free agency and donned the jersey of the Philadelphia 76ers.  Finn was a guy who first appeared in a Storm Trooper uniform. But the tactics of his unit bothered him.  At first, he just wanted out.  He saw there was no future in intimidation and falling short of goals again and again.

It was random chance that he joined “the good guys”. But once there, he remained and become a significant contributor.  Not blessed with pure Jedi Knight skills or physicality, he is best equipped at long range as a marksman.  Early in his time with the team, he begins to help his teammates, even standing up and demanding his group help rescue one who has fallen into captivity.

Redick sharpshooter

So too, J.J. Redick is the team’s ace sharpshooter. His 39.0 percent shooting from the perimeter is below average so far. But he’s young in terms of experience with the Philadelphia 76ers. As such, his value will grow over time. He has already proven his versatility with the team, excelling at both offense and defense for the team in just 27 games.

Still, much like Finn, Redick’s arrival was welcomed with open arms, but the Rebel Forces remain dubious as to what he brings to the team.  Will he regain his 41.4 percent or better marksmanship from three-point range? When the team needs clutch shooting as they make a playoff run, can they count on him? Or will his one-year contract stare back at him, and persuade him back to the dark forces of opposing teams next year?  Like Finn, the Philadelphia 76ers want to see more from Redick this year before forming a more permanent opinion.

Yoda: Sam Hinkie

The ultimate Jedi Master is Yoda. Patient, attuned to the force, it was his foresight which saved the Jedi Order again and again. Now, he has passed on to the afterlife, but still counsels the Jedi at key moments in history. So too has former Philadelphia 76ers president and general manager Sam Hinkie been the mastermind behind this new Philadelphia 76ers revolution.  Yoda felt disturbances in the NBA force, knows when his Jedi cross over the line to Sith in moments of emotional outburst and anger.

Yoda is the patient one. He is the one whose powers from the “The Force” rival that of the most powerful Sith.  As such, he mentored his first progeny, Obi Wan Kenobi is his first disciple and nearly as powerful in the force as a result.  But Yoda has passed on. Now, The Force finds it’s destiny in the hands of a new wave of Jedi.

Hinkie saw his own demise

Sam Hinkie was an evolutionary force to the NBA.  He did not survive the backlash against his new concepts, but The Process has taken root in the NBA in more than just name.  On one hand, his was the perspective to build an NBA team over multiple years. On the other hand, he had the foresight which added insurance layers to NBA Draft picks to ensure realized value.  And finally, he used pick swaps, the second round, and undrafted players to fill an NBA roster. To the routine of NBA roster building, this was a new innovation, and has yet to be duplicated.   He did so not to build a bad team today, but to build a great team tomorrow.

Like Yoda, Hinkie focused on the next step.  His was a patient mannerism, almost to a fault. He could analyze a player and see how those skillsets may or may not develop to become a true Jedi Knight. Ridiculed at the time, he traded Michael Carter Williams after his NBA Rookie of the Year season for a Los Angeles Lakers first round pick which has yet to convey.  Hinkie may be gone from the team, but his spirit continues. Philadelphia 76ers fans have been awed into patience by the Jedi Master – Sam Hinkie.  Still he resigned with his letter of resignation, a.k.a.  Manifesto, knowing that he was stripped of power with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Obi Wan Kenobi: Brett Brown

Obi Wan Kenobi is the last Jedi Knight to play a pivotal role from the beginning of the Star Wars saga.  Beginning the series as a padawan, or student, of “The Force”, he quickly rises to the level of Jedi Knight.  Now, as a fully indoctrinated Jedi, he is oftentimes the lead scout for the entire Jedi Order in investigating troubling matters and new dangers as they arise to oppose the Jedi.

Even after the Jedi Order is leveled, he remains close to Luke Skywalker.  Knowing that Luke is blessed with a tremendous potential in The Force, he remains close by and vigilant. It is he who instructs Skywalker in the force initially. But Skywalker eventually turns to Yoda for even more advanced training.  Ultimately, Skywalker finds the Jedi Master on Dagobah. There, he learns from Yoda until he is prepared to assume his role as a Jedi Knight.

Brown is strong in The Process

So too, Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown remains the last individual who signed up as Sam Hinkie’s lieutenant who remains with the team.  As such, it was Brown who had Joel Embiid as his “padawan”.  In fact, it is Brown who continues to instill the powers of “The Process” to his roster.  The Philadelphia 76ers, or Jedi Order, in this analogy, rely upon their head coach to focus upon the right priorities.   Right now, those keys are Pace, Space, and Pass, and the team is strong in those principals.

Obi Wan Kenobi became the default head of the Jedi Order when Yoda went into exile.  So too, Brett Brown has emerged as the leader to the “Trust The Process” movement since the resignation of Sam Hinkie.  He continues to remain strong in the founding principals, and he shares his knowledge, wisdom, and mentoring freely with his players. But like Ben Kenobi, you have to wonder just when he will face his ultimate test of sacrifice for “The Process”.  Will the team retain him all the way to an NBA Championship? Or, like Ben Kenobi, will he be another casualty along the way?

Rey: Markelle Fultz

Rey is the latest addition to the Star Wars Saga who is strong in “The Force”.  As such she is still familiarizing herself with her potential, with her powers.  And as such, there is great anticipation and expectations of this new character in terms of just how powerful can this new Jedi disciple be?  We know that Rey’s Force-abilities did not arrive to her.  In fact, it was a complete surprise to her that a light saber once owned by Luke Skywalker called to her and filled her head with memories and visions which did not belong to her.

Rey has a mysterious past.  Some believe her lineage is a key factor in her strength in the Force. Others expect it to be a minor factor.  After all, the Force in her hands is the true theme of the new Star Wars Trilogy, isn’t it?  As such, fans have significant expectations of her contributions to overthrow the Dark Side.  She is the new salvation, the Jedi Knight who will restore the balance to the force. Her powers, though raw, are presumed to exceed the powers of any Sith or Dark Force foe she will face.

Markelle Fultz new 76ers star

Markelle Fultz has some significant shoes to fill. His fate is the same as any top-picked prospect upon entering the NBA.  Delaying his arrival to the NBA has only magnified fans’ expectations of his role with the Philadelphia 76ers going forward.  With elevated hopes comes the subsequent fear of “bust”.  Neither of course is true.  In the end, he is a young gifted  basketball player who must train, familiarize, and extend his talents to that of an NBA level. Nothing more, nothing less, for now.  Ultimately, he must face the NBA as he returns to the basketball court.

Much like Rey, Fultz doesn’t have mastery over his skills yet. He must learn as he goes. Like Rey, everyone presumes he will be elite.  Anything less will give rise to disappointment, and dashed future hopes.  But much like Rey, he is growing.  Soon he will be the master of his talents.  When that happens, he will be more than a match for NBA play.  The true question is not how talented is Markelle Fultz, but rather how patient and supportive can the Philadelphia 76ers fans be?

Luke Skywalker: Joel Embiid

If Sam Hinkie is Yoda, then Luke Skywalker MUST be Joel Embiid. Both Yoda and Obi Wan Kenobi mentored Luke Skywalker in the ways of the force.  And as such, he became the first true Jedi Knight to appear since Darth Vader slaughter the trainees.   And as such, he armed himself against the onslaught of the Sith.

His was not a path of complete dominance over the Sith. He grew his powers to a point where he became confident in his first encounter.  That encounter, though it saved his friends, cost Luke his hand and entrapped his friend Hans Solo in a state of suspended animation.

Joel Embiid embodies The Process

Joel Embiid embodies The Process.  It is he who became the player deemed strongest in NBA skills, a player who was hidden from the NBA empire for two seasons as he surgically repaired his foot, learned proper motion at Aspetar Clinic, and arose to become the most recognizable name and face on the Philadelphia 76ers team.

As significant as Luke Skywalker has been to the Star Wars movies, Joel Embiid is just as significant to the Philadelphia 76ers.  He continues to perform at levels that exceed expectations. Both offensively and defensively, he is the champion of the team in terms of pure talent and production.  His training for the NBA consisted of over two years time.  But at his debut, he raised eyebrows with his ability to not only score, but to defend the NBA basket.  While Star Wars: The Last Jedi will fill your social calendars with checking out the new cinematic chapter of the Jedi Order, you have another option.

Next: Revisiting the Sixers’ top 10 players

The Philadelphia 76ers are equally strong in The Force, but in their case they refer to it as The Process.   And while you must wait for a new Star Wars movie for several years, the 76ers defend the universe 82 times a year.  Coming to an NBA stadium near you.