In just about a week and a half, my two favorite sports will collide.
I’ll be in Los Angeles for the Rose Bowl, of course, as Oregon and Wisconsin meet in a clash of the new-era titans. But by that time, the abbreviated NBA season will also have begun in earnest, and some prime games will be taking place in the City of Angels as we usher in a new year. Clippers-Bulls. Lakers-Nuggets. Clippers-Blazers. Or, if you prefer: Chris Paul versus reigning MVP Derrick Rose, Blake Griffin versus LaMarcus Aldridge and Kobe Bryant versus presentable facial hair. Paradise, in other words, for guys like me.
The Rose Bowl is the main attraction, but don’t think for a second that I won’t be attending at least one (and hopefully two) of those NBA games. I can’t help myself.
With these two sports — college football and professional basketball — staging a rendezvous in Los Angeles (and the recent gathering of Lebron James, Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade at Autzen Stadium also in mind), it seemed fitting to compare Duck football players and current NBA players. Skeptical? Just hear me out. The sports may be entirely dissimilar, but character traits and playing styles can always intersect, no matter the sport. Also: it’s winter break, and I know you don’t want another update about LaMichael James’ draft status (hint: he’s still undecided).
And so, here we go. I’ll be happy if 50 percent of this makes any sense.
Darron Thomas is…Steve Nash (point guard, Phoenix Suns)
Right off the bat, you might be thinking that I’ve lost my mind. Darron Thomas, the lanky 6-foot-3 quarterback from Texas, most closely resembles a Canadian point guard with questionable hair?*
*As an aside, I almost picked John Stockton as Thomas’ likeness. Assists maestro, underrated, tough as nails, lacking a championship — it all fit. But then I thought about those short shorts, and the Jazz, and that mechanical, yawn-inducing offensive attack, and realized I was insane. 
Yes, this choice might seem a bit off kilter. But appearances aside, these two share more similarities than you may have imagined. For starters, both serve as “quarterbacks” (both literally and, in Nash’s case, figuratively) of explosive offensive attacks that aim to strike as quickly and as often as is humanely possible. Under head coach Mike D’Antony back in his glory years (2005-2008), Nash won two league MVP awards while operating under a “score in seven seconds or less” approach. Sound familiar?*
*Yes, I just hyperlinked to a Bill Simmons column. Please don’t get distracted and leave me. 
Thomas and head coach Chip Kelly work in much the same way (and for the record, Chip Kelly > Mike D’Antony, if only because Kelly understands the concept of defense). Oregon’s offense is well known for its exhausting pace, and if we’re really stretching the comparison, you might call it a “two-minutes or less” approach. Rare is the scoring drive that lasts longer than that.
Any offense, and particularly one as potent as Oregon’s, needs a facilitator, and that is Thomas’ role. He may not share Nash’s penchant for the flash, but they’re both consumate professionals and consistent winners. And, as of this time, neither have grasped the ultimate prize — a championship. Thomas could if the Ducks win the Rose Bowl, but Nash will need some help (namely, a trade) if he is to win a ring. For now though, the similarities outweigh the differences when it comes to these two players.
LaMichael James is…Derrick Rose (point guard, Chicago Bulls)
I struggled with this one. James has such a diversity of traits that I could have compared him to about ten different NBA players. There was Dwyane Wade (cat-quick, fearless around the basket, explosive), Rajon Rondo (clever, exceedingly tough, freak elbow injuries), and in a blast from the past, maybe even Allen Iverson. But no one really fit quite like Rose did. You think about their strengths as players, and they’re almost exactly the same: inhumanly fast, deceptively strong, competitive to the highest degree. Watch this move and tell me you don’t think of James shaking and baking defenders in the open field.

And then there’s the personality crossover. Both James and Rose are quiet by nature, but also very friendly and humble. It’s always team first with these two, and that’s part of what has made them so successful in their respective sports.
De’Anthony Thomas is… Russell Westbrook (point guard, Oklahoma City Thunder)
It just occurred to me that we’re three-for-three with point guard comparisons here. I promise: there is a player on the Ducks who does not resemble an all-star point guard. We’ll get to it.
Anyway, this felt like an easy choice. Like Thomas with James and Kenjon Barner, Westbrook also plays under the shadow of a bigger star (Kevin Durant). Like Thomas in the open field, Westbrook is a meteor on the court with the talent to be an MVP someday. And, like Thomas, Westbrook is still prone to head-scratching mistakes. In Thomas’ case, those mistakes mostly come in the form of poorly timed fumbles. For Westbrook, the problems are turnovers and decision making. See: this moment in last year’s playoff series against the Grizzlies (video courtesy of the excellent NBA Playbook website):

The good news is that both players are incredibly young (Thomas is a true freshman, while Westbrook is a 23-year old entering his fourth year in the league). There’s still plenty of time for them to put it all together, and if they do, it will be truly frightening in the best possible way.
David Paulson is…Zach Randolph (power forward, Memphis Grizzlies)
David Paulson has the best hands in all of college football. Zach Randolph has the best hands in the NBA. That is the only similarity between David Paulson and Zach Randolph.
Dion Jordan is…Serge Ibaka (power forward, Oklahoma City Thunder)
Jordan burst onto the scene this year, using his supremely athletic 6-foot-7, 240-pound frame to menace quarterbacks and offensive linemen alike while racking up a team-high 7.5 sacks. Defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti calls him the “praying mantis,” which is both fitting and awesome. Witness:

Ibaka also emerged last season as a defensive wizard, ranking third in the league with 2.41 blocks per game. Like Jordan, he’s freakishly gifted and really fun to watch. All things being equal, though, I’m almost positive that Jordan can’t do this:

I’ve never been more excited for a new year.