An ‘Incredible’ pick-up to fill out the Clippers roster

The Clippers have one of the deepest rosters in the NBA, if not the most complete. With two superstars, including a two-time Finals MVP and Defensive Player of the Year, and a bench replete with players who could start on several other teams, there aren’t a lot of holes to fill heading into the league restart.

So when the opportunity presented itself to select one Disney character to round out the Clippers roster, the idea wasn’t to target a specific skill set, but rather a player who fits in seamlessly with the team ethos — squad over self, grit over glam, you get the drill. That’s why, with the 16th pick in the SB Nation Disney character draft, the Clippers selected The Incredibles superhero, Elastigirl.

Elastigirl truly has no ego and is exactly the kind of hero who can easily slot in with an established team. She comes from a family of superheroes, so she is used to working together instead of going rogue. Elastigirl is willing to let others shine, which she does with Mr. Incredible, but she also has the capacity to take a leading role, like when she battles the Screenslaver. She has an acute understanding of how best to optimize the talents of others and bring our their peak performances, which Violet would surely attest to. A player who is comfortable sitting on the bench but always stays ready — after literally years of inaction, in one instance — is a crucial piece of a championship team.

Even though the intangibles set Elastigirl apart, she has specific skills that could benefit the Clippers. Elastigirl stands 5’8 but can stretch up to 30m (100 feet), making that a more accurate measurement of the length she brings to this roster. Think of how Kawhi Leonard blows up opposing actions because his enormous hands show up out of nowhere to swipe the ball; now imagine Elastigirl extending her significantly longer reach across the court on defense. It would be impossible to get anything past her.

That similarly applies to rim protection. The Clippers were probably in need of one big before signing Joakim Noah as an emergency center, but Elastigirl solves that problem. She has the length to deflect anything at the basket, and her elastic nature makes it much less taxing on the body to take charges.

Offensively, I’m not sure you want Elastigirl handling the ball, especially when she elongates, though she could probably easily snake a pick-and-roll and work her way around screens. But it would be hard to ask for more from a spot-up shooter; she can literally rise up and drop the ball into the basket, safely avoiding any defenders. Elastigirl is the only player in the world who can recreate Michael Jordan’s shot from Space Jam.

To be clear, the Clippers aren’t expecting a superstar with the 16th pick in the draft. This is the slot that has produced Chuma Okeke, Zhaire Smith, Guerschon Yabusele, Justin Patton, and Terry Rozier in the last five years. But with Elastigirl, the Clippers are at least getting a super teammate. That could be just enough to put this roster over the top.