The force is strong in the post: The NBA equivalent for every Star Wars film
Episode VIII — The Last Jedi is the current Philadelphia 76ers
The latest Star Wars film has yet to hit theaters but the hype and anticipation created by the trailers and small bits we’ve already seen are off the charts.
Star Wars helped to create the current media landscape where movies do not simply exist on their own. Even the idea of a trilogy seems quaint in today’s era of the “Cinematic Universe.” Production companies intricately plan their schedule of releases years down the line and create intertwined stories to keep audiences always looking ahead to what’s next.
The film is sure to be a box-office mega-hit, and before long we’ll know if the hype was worth the price of admission.
The Philadelphia 76ers built their current roster through the much-talked-about “process” of tearing their team down and starting from scratch. The team took a “longest view in the room” approach to roster-building that took advantage of the league’s lottery system to give themselves the best chance at landing elite young talent by being bad. Really bad.
Love it or hate it (or Trust It) the results have given Philly two of the most promising young talents in the league in Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons surrounded by a supporting cast of diamonds in the rough, gritty overachievers, veterans on ridiculous one-year deals, and highly-touted as-yet-unproven young guns.
They hype around the young squad has skyrocketed to Last Jedi-like heights. Embiid has become a social media darling and was recently named Rising Star of the year by Sports Illustrated. Simmons has already earned what may be the first of many Rookie of the Month awards and is on pace to have one of the greatest first-year campaigns in league history.
The Sixers are passing the box office test as well, currently sitting second in the league in average attendance per game.
We’ll know in the next few days whether the latest Star Wars movie can live up to what we’ve seen so far. In Philadelphia’s case, the next few years will reveal the ultimate results of their experiment.
Don’t underestimate the process — I mean, the force. Perhaps it would be wise not to underestimate either.