Have you ever sat there with a friend, watched a show and tossed out some kind of comment like, “jeez, that’s the kinda thing (insert other friend here) would do.”? Sometimes the conversation will end with a brief chuckle, but that’s about it. In other cases, though, you the back-and-forth takes off to analyze which character best fits as one of your friends. It’s insanely fun, and also oddly telling.
So, seeing as we’re in mid-August and there isn’t much else to talk about, why not play this game with the Lakers and Harry Potter? Before we start, the series legitimately changed my life. My grandma introduced it to me and showed that reading doesn’t have to be woefully painful. Since then, I’ve discovered a love for reading and writing only satisfied by blogging. So, when you get sick of my puns, you can direct all blame toward my grandma. She’s a sweetheart though, so I’d advise against doing so.
Anyway, this should be fun. Here it goes…
Harry:
Who might be the Lakers’ “Chosen One”? The easy answer would obviously be some combination of the Lakers’ core, wouldn’t it? But that’s too easy. So, instead, let’s isolate D’Angelo Russell. At the very least, the image of Hagrid telling a young lefty in his gruff growl of a voice “You’re a wizard, D’Angelo” is pretty incredible.
Russell as Potter makes a ton of sense beyond that, though. His rise to the number two pick overall was meteoric, just like Harry’s rise to immediate superstardom upon his arrival in the wizarding world. He’s also less obviously gifted than the typical potential all star, isn’t he? Meaning he won’t thrill with above-the-rim highlights or dominate with other obvious showcases of God-given talent. Instead, he’ll lead with what was given to him with the leadership required as the point guard.
And all along, you are never quite sure Harry is quite ready for the challenges ahead. Something tells me we’ll ask such a question a few times over about Russell.
At least he’ll have to, or else the franchise hopefully built around him might crumble, just like the series would’ve had Harry not made it through the impossible tasks he was able to accomplish before **Spoiler Alert** conquering He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.
Lord Voldemort:
Speaking of You-Know-Who, who best qualifies to play the villain on this team? I could extend the conversation beyond the organization to bring in people like David Stern or Dan Gilbert. I could take the easy way out and dub Jim Buss or Byron Scott the ultimate antagonist. Instead, though, I’m gonna send a “Reducto” curse directly at my mentions and say Kobe Bryant best plays the role of villain on the Lakers.
As is the case with any villain, Voldemort shared a few similar qualities to the hero he is eventually vanquished by. Those who read the series will immediately think of both Tom Riddle and Harry being orphans. In this case, Russell and Kobe both enter the league with some considerable question marks. Bryant was acquired on draft night in return for an incredibly talented and popular Vlade Divac. Russell was selected instead of Jahlil Okafor – who was pegged early on as the most surefire prospect in college basketball and did nothing to prove that assessment incorrect.
No one within the organization has the power to demolish the immediate and future plans like Kobe does, though. If he doesn’t accept his role as mentor, the future of the franchise could be hampered before it grows roots. If he decides he wants to stick around but at no kind of discount, goodbye either flexibility or public perception. Is Kobe the perfect definition of a villain right now? No.
If he doesn’t buy in, though, our memory of one of the most popular Lakers ever could be forever tarnished to degrees Voldemort’s soul never recovered.
Ron Weasley:
Ah, Ronald. He served mostly as the comedic relief as Harry saved the world. Yet, we’d all be governed by Death Eaters if not for Weasley’s bravery when he dove headfirst into a frozen-over lake to retrieve not only Harry, but a piece of the Dark Lord’s soul, itself. Because of this, and other major moments in the series where Ron played a major role in extending beyond a couple cheap laughs, someone like Robert Sacre doesn’t work. Sorry, Gary.
Aside from examples of heroism later in the series, Ron was responsible for introducing Harry to the wizarding world as a peer, when Harry knew no one. So, wouldn’t Jordan Clarkson fit this role? He’s been there before, yet people aren’t quite sure what he’s really capable of. We saw Clarkson accomplish plenty, but don’t really know what exactly it meant. And, if we’re bringing this comparison full circle, who better than Clarkson to help Russell navigate the complications that come with being the only hope of the Lakers organization?
I had originally planned on writing about each character, but we’re 800 words in and I’ve only scratched the surface of this. Like I said earlier, these kinds of conversations can sometimes take off on you. Check back later for part two, where I compare more Lakers to characters from this series.
One thought