The vibes, as the kids say, are immaculate. So I thought I’d have some fun with this one. My thought process was this: Grant Williams compared the Celtics to characters from the MCU; Marcus Smart compared himself to Yoda on Twitter (see below). So how about I compare the rest of the roster to Star Wars characters? Simple, right? Let’s get right to it.
Jayson Tatum – Luke Skywalker
He’s the central good-guy character and the most talented. We watched him grow up right before our eyes and trust that he will lead us to victory. In terms of personality, he’s so good and earnest and pure that he ends up being a little boring (this is a compliment, mind you).
Other options would have been Rey or Anakin, but I like the Luke comp best.
Photo by Ethan Mito/Clarkson Creative/Getty Images and Photo by Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images
Jaylen Brown – Han Solo
He’s the other leading man, capable of carrying whole movies by himself but also well equipped to play as an integral part of the greater team. He also has a little more edge and swagger that make him uniquely his own man.
Other options would be Boba Fett or Poe Dameron.
Marcus Smart – Yoda
I’ll let Marcus have this one. He’s short, old (compared to most of the roster), wise, and capable of being both very serious and very goofy depending on his mood. He’s not afraid of any challenge and never afraid to share his thoughts. Also, he’s respected across the league/universe and a fan favorite.
Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images and Photo credit should read ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT/AFP via Getty Images
Robert Williams III – Chewbacca
Another fan favorite. He doesn’t say much, he doesn’t demand the spotlight, but every once in a while he bursts onto the scene with amazing feats of athleticism.
Al Horford – Obi-Wan Kenobi
A well respected central character that had to go into hiding on a deserted planet for years before jumping back into the action as a mentor to the central character. Also known for his wisdom, dignity, and dry dad-humor.
Grant Williams – Finn
Both Finn and Grant are talented support players and have their moments to shine alongside the stars. However, in their own way they are both kind of goofy nerds (again, a compliment speaking as one myself) that bring out some of the fun comic relief.
Derrick White – The Mandalorian
Soft spoken but very talented. Derrick was raised in a basketball culture that taught him how to play the game the right way. This is the way.
Payton Pritchard – BB-8
Payton isn’t an easy one to match up, but when I picture him practicing his ball handling drills I imagine BB-8 rolling around, bouncing off of walls and generally being speedy. I thought about using R2-D2 because he’s short and there’s that one scene in Return of the Jedi where he launches Luke’s lightsaber to him with a perfect long range arc.
Aaron Nesmith – Jar Jar Binks
I hate to do this to Aaron, but it was too easy. Both are high energy characters that launch themselves into the action seemingly without fear and too much thought.
Ime Udoka – Mace Windu
I mean, this goes without saying, right?
Your turn
Feel free to play along and provide your own character comps. There are guys like Daniel Theis that I couldn’t come up with comps for, but maybe you folks can help me out in the comments below.
Hope you enjoyed. May the Force be with you.
