Anthony Davis as NBA 2k16 cover (Photo : Twitter)
While it's still a month before the release of NBA 2K16, the debate about player ratings are already raging.
It's a tough task predicting the possible player ratings in NBA 2K but there are some who take the challenge. There are many questions to consider: How much should the past season affect the ratings? What about injuries-should they deteriorate a player's ratings and if so, how much?
What Culture recently laid out their possible top 10 players in 2K16:
Carmelo Anthony - 88 (slightly lower from 89 last year)
Dwight Howard - 89
Anthony Davis - 90 (his highest yet, but is it high enough?)
Blake Griffin - 91
Russell Westbrook - 92
Chris Paul - 92
Kevin Durant - 93
James Harden - 93
Steph Curry - 94
LeBron James - 98
There would be some questionable decisions there. Would Blake Griffin be considered as one of the top 10 players in the league? Most observers would also claim that Steph Curry, despite winning the MVP award and his team winning the championship, should not be higher than James Harden, his closest rival for the award.
Chris Paul is still the highest rated point guard except for MVP Curry, but would he be ranked the same as Russell Westbrook, who had MVP stats (albeit in an injury plagued season where they failed to reach the playoffs)?
Anthony Davis was also a Top 5 player in the NBA last year, but he is not in the Top 5. Another player who was in the Top 5 in NBA MVP balloting was Marc Gasol of the Memphis Grizzlies, but he is also not on the list. This might reflect one of the criticisms on NBA 2K-being too concentrated on offense.
In 2K15, it was noted that they only had 5 players rated 90+ during at the launch of the game. The number would definitely increase as players improve (like Westbrook and Harden).
The debate continues until the actual rankings are released. After that, the debate will only intensify.
