Utah Jazz: Assigning a Star Wars character to each Jazzman

PARIS, FRANCE - NOVEMBER 30: Light signage for the new installment of the 'Star Wars' series is displayed at Beaugrenelle cinema on November 30, 2017 in Paris, France. The release date of episode VIII, Star Wars - The Last Jedi is expected in Paris on December 13. (Photo by Chesnot/Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE - NOVEMBER 30: Light signage for the new installment of the 'Star Wars' series is displayed at Beaugrenelle cinema on November 30, 2017 in Paris, France. The release date of episode VIII, Star Wars - The Last Jedi is expected in Paris on December 13. (Photo by Chesnot/Getty Images)
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Utah Jazz Dante Exum Preseason
SALT LAKE CITY, UT – OCTOBER 4: Dante Exum #11 of the Utah Jazz controls the ball against the Maccabi Haifa in preseason action at Vivint Smart Home Arena on October 4, 2017 in Salt Lake City, Utah (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images)

Dante Exum – Wedge Antilles

Among die hard Star Wars fans, Wedge Antilles is something of a cult hero. He’s absolutely beloved and a popular character despite honestly accomplishing very little in the movies (side note, he’s a stud in several of the books though, in case you haven’t read them).

Similarly, Exum is widely beloved among many of the Jazz faithful even though, quite frankly, he hasn’t done a whole lot for the Jazz just yet. He’s certainly got the skills and capability to become a force in this league, but he hasn’t had much of a chance to prove it up to this point.

Just like in Episode IV when Wedge is hit in the Battle of the first Death Star and ducks out of action before the job is done, Exum has seemingly been taken out of action prior to every season where he’s been needed the most. Fortunately, although a young Antilles ended up being far removed from Luke’s triumph over the first Death Star, he bounced back in Return of the Jedi as a deadly pilot.

Exum’s had to sit out several battles already, but his career is far from over. If he can find some semblance of health moving forward, he could very well justify the overwhelming amount of love that he receives from Jazz fans despite not having proved himself just yet.