If you’re not familiar with Film Fridays, each Friday, I’ll be looking at some recent Denver Nuggets’ games, lineups or something else from a film aspect to try and bring you a piece of content that you’re not getting somewhere else. Feel free to give any feedback positive or negative in the comments or find me on Twitter.
Welcome back to another edition of the Film Friday series. It was Marvel week on the SB Nation podcasting network, and it was May the Fourth Be With You earlier in the week. It was a whole lot of nerd stuff going on. With that in mind, we’re going to keep the nerd content rolling. If you don’t like it, that’s too bad because I’m going to do it anyway. We’re taking the Nuggets’ starting five and giving them their MCU superhero comparison.
The first thing to consider is that I can’t just make them each a member of the Avengers unless it’s a perfect fit. I’m going to be going down the MCU roster and trying to slot them in the best that I can. If you enjoy this, let me know. If there is enough positive feedback, I may just have to go through the entire roster for something like this.
Point Guard Jamal Murray – Hawkeye
Did I cheat a little on this one? Maybe. It’s just too easy though. Jamal Murray’s nickname is the Blue Arrow. He’s been known as a sweet-shooting guard since he entered the NBA, and he excels more due to his skill than raw size or athleticism. That pairs him perfectly with the dark and brooding Hawkeye.
Throughout 23 movies in the MCU, Hawkeye largely keeps you at a distance, and he wants to spend as much time with his family as possible. Murray likes to cook up defenders on the outside, and he wants to slice through them when he gets an advantage. (Quite similar to the behavior of Clint Barton in Avengers: Endgame.) When their arrow strikes, they’re both left posing and satisfied.
Shooting Guard Gary Harris – Rocket Raccoon
Ok. So, Murray and Hawkeye are an easy connection to make, but you have to work a little bit more to make the connection between the 6’4” Gary Harris and the great Rocket Raccoon. For starters, they’re both undersized for what they’re doing. Rocket is 3’1” tall which makes him smaller than everybody he goes up against in battle. Harris isn’t shorter than everyone, but the guy isn’t exactly a giant on the floor.
They both have a chip on their shoulder that they carry with them into every game or battle. To Rocket, he doesn’t care who you are. He’s got a gun big enough to take you down. For Gary, he doesn’t care if you’re an All-Star or an end of bench guy. He’s going to keep coming at you until he comes away with the win.
Small Forward Will Barton – Spider-Man
From a pure body composition standpoint, this one makes too much sense. Will Barton and The Human Spider are both longer players with the ability to get into positions that not everyone else can be in. Neither of these guys are counted on as every battle contributors, but they both have the ability to show up when you least expect them to.
Just watch this clip. Barton glides to the rim, and he uses his length to give him the advantage over the defender. Couldn’t you picture Spider-Man making this exact same play? We’ve seen him swinging through in the movies. He uses finesse more than raw strength, and that’s exactly what you’ll see out of Barton.
Power Forward Paul Millsap – Captain America
Who calls the shots for the Avengers? Captain America. Who is the Nuggets’ defensive captain? Paul Millsap. Another comparison that just makes too much sense. Millsap isn’t the biggest or fastest guy on the floor, but he’s got all the heart in the world. He’ll never say die. Even when the remainder of the team looks dejected and defeated, he’s going to give you his all until he subs out for the final time.
This is what we call a lunch-pale play. It’s the type of thing that Cap did for years. He is never afraid to do the dirty work or come out of a battle with a few scrapes. Millsap isn’t in this for the glory. He’s in this to win and to help his team. If he comes out of the game with six points and eight rebounds, he doesn’t care as long as the team got a win. That’s the style that Cap had at the end of the day.
Center Nikola Jokic – Scarlet Witch
What?!?!?! How is 7’ 253-pound Nikola Jokic comparable to the 5’7” 130-pound Scarlet Witch? It’s pretty simple. Both are arguably the most powerful people in their universe, but they’re overlooked because of their size in one way or another. Jokic always has negativity that surrounds the media argument because he’s “fat” or out of shape. He just hit the one-year anniversary of playing 65 minutes in a playoff game, which is the most since the 1950s.
I’ve been doing gifs of individual plays up until this point. However, the superstar earns a special decision. He triple-doubled in 65 minutes in a loss. He did everything that he could to will his team to a win. Just like Wanda Maximoff, he knows you can’t win them all. Like when she tried to help Vision sacrifice himself to prevent Thanos from completing his quest for the Infinity Stones. She failed, and, in this instance, so did Jokic.
The Nuggets are a collection of fighters that have come together behind their head coach. Each serves their role. Just like the Avengers each have a role to play when they’re going into a fight. The Nuggets are the same way. Each of them serves their purpose to the best of their abilities.
For those of you that are still here, remember to leave your feedback in the comments or over on my Twitter, and have a fantastic film-filled Friday.
