Ever wondered what Pokemon each member of the Rocket’s starting five would be? look no further
Having been born in the 2000’s like many of you reading this, Pokémon was a huge part of my childhood. Even as an adult, I’m still into the Pokémon Card Game, and any free time I have that isn’t spent watching NBA Basketball is spent playing Pokémon games. Being both a Houston Rockets fan and a Pokémon fan, I have begun to wonder what Pokémon each Rockets starter would be? Well, folks, as of today, I have found the answers.
(For this article, I am assuming the starting lineup is point guard Fred VanVleet, shooting guard Amen Thompson, power forward Jabari Smith Jr., small forward Kevin Durant, and center Alperen Sengun.
Fred VanVleet – Mewtwo
Mewtwo was once the most powerful pokemon in the franchise, as it was introduced in the first generation of games, but now stronger pokemon have been discovered. This is simmilar to Fred VanVleet, as Fred went from a key piece to a title team to taking a step back to help mentor and lead this Rockets team.
Photo by Stanislav Kogiku/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Amen Thompson – Latias
Latias is one half of the legendary Pokémon duo originally released in the Generation III games Pokémon Ruby and Pokémon Sapphire. Latios is the counterpart to Latias. Similarly, Amen Thompson has a twin brother, Asaur Thompson, and while both players are still young, up to this point, Amen has been the better player, where whereas Latias is the better Pokémon out of the two. Additonally, Latias is red, which is one of the primary colors of the Houston Rockets, and Latios is blue, which is one of the primary colors of the Detroit Pistons.
Jabari Smith Jr. – Lucario/Klefki
Introduced in Generation four, the Fighting/Steel-type Pokémon Lucario is renowned for having a well-balanced attacking and defensive skill set. In addition to having access to a variety of physical moves, including Close Combat and Extreme Speed, it can launch a potent special attack called the Aura Sphere, which is akin to a jump shot. Smith’s two-way play is mirrored in Lucario’s adaptability and capacity to perform well on both ends of the court. Additionally, Klefki, which was introduced in Generation Six, would relate to Jabari Smith’s nickname, the Locksmith, which refers to his lockdown defensive abilities.
Kevin Durant – Dusknoir
Although it would have been easy to slot in the Pokémon called Durant from the Generation Five games, I decided to think outside of the box, which is how I landed on Dusknoir from the Generation Four games. One of Kevin Durant’s nicknames is the Slim Reaper, which is a play on the Grim Reaper, and Dusknoir is essentially the Grim Reaper as a Pokémon.
Alperen Sengun – Kadabra
Kadabra originates from the first generation of Pokémon games, and is part of a three-stage evolution line. The first stage is Abra, a psychic-type Pokémon that then evolves into Kadabra. And finally, Alakazam. Alakazam is simmilar to a wizard in the way it is depicted in the Pokémon franchise, similar to how Nikola Jokic plays, and with the constant Sengun Jokic comparisons, I figured a pokemon that is still magical would fit for a player like Sengun who has shown us some magic, but we are waiting for him to reach his final stage.
Let me know what you all think! This is something I have wanted to sit down and write about for a while now, so let me know if you would want to see more pieces like this, and as always go Rockets.