Last week, the editors all across SB Nation conducted a fun little activity: selecting Disney characters to add to every quarantine playoff roster. With the quarantine playoffs taking place at Disney World, sports and entertainment are colliding in ways we haven’t ever seen before. To take it a step further, SB Nation wanted to add one character to each NBA roster to help that team win a championship.
The draft order was random and the Denver Nuggets selected with the 16th pick. Many powerhouse characters were selected in the top 10. Robin Hood went to the Milwaukee Bucks as the top pick. Mickey Mouse went to the Washington Wizards at seventh overall. At 16th, the Nuggets had to get creative with their selection, knowing that the selection could mean the difference in a championship run or a first round exit. The pressure was truly mounting.
With the 16th pick of the Disney character NBA Draft, the Denver Nuggets select…Mr. Incredible.
The Nuggets need a couple of things from any new addition to their rotation, but the primary traits are size, strength, and athleticism to combat the big bodies on the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers. LeBron James reminds me of a mack truck when he barrels down the middle of the lane hoping to dunk on someone’s head. Anthony Davis is a pterodactyl hoping to spread his wingspan and use that length on both ends of the floor. Kawhi Leonard, like LeBron, is a mack truck, only he has the perfect brake pads to also stop on a dime. Paul George remains superhuman in his own right.
Those players are all superheroes with superhero traits, so the Nuggets choose to counter by adding a superhero of their own.
Mr. Incredible may have some selfish tendencies at times, but he’s at his best when he’s working within a team concept. Nikola Jokic is the brains behind the operation while Jamal Murray is often the tip of the spear. Sometimes you need a hammer though, and that’s what Mr. Incredible provides the rotation: brute force power and athleticism.
Bob Parr (Mr. Incredible) has had several big moments in the two Incredibles movies, but his best may have come as a supporting character and filling in the gaps for the entire family. When he was needed, Mr. Incredible provided. When the team needed him to take a backseat, he figured out how to do that too, though the process was fairly slow.
Just make sure to give Mr. Incredible a role he thinks his talents are best suited for, or else he may start slacking on the job.
Ultimately at his ceiling, Mr. Incredible is an elite role player, a jack-of-all-trades piece that will do everything you need him to on the court. Need him to defend the opposing team’s best player? He has the physical capability to do that. Need him to sacrifice by setting screens and do the dirty work offensively? He will do that too. He is Marcus Smart personified: passionate, hard-working, a willing contributor, and will do whatever it takes for the team to prevail.
Will the Nuggets win a championship with Mr. Incredible in their rotation? It’s too early to say at this point. He has some chemistry issues at times because he cares a lot about the game, perhaps too much and tries to do it all himself. Overall, he gives the Nuggets the best chance to win, and head coach Michael Malone would be wise to work Bob Parr into the rotation at his earliest convenience.
Malone will love his work ethic though, because when it clicks, it looks like the 2014 San Antonio Spurs out there.
