Roughly two weeks before the official release of NBA 2K17, the most-sought and sometimes controversial in-game stats called 'the players' ratings' have reportedly been leaked online.
The players ratings for the upcoming edition of 2K Sports' popular basketball simulation game, NBA 2K, may not be as accurate as every gamer wishes for, but game developers nevertheless did a good job identifying the elites 'the 90+ players' from the rest of the field.
And if you are a diehard purple-and-gold fan, well this year's ratings for the Los Angeles Lakers might get you a little bit disappointed because no one on the current roster got a rating higher than 80.
But again the new era, also known as post-Kobe Bryant, isn't expected to begin on a smooth note. There's going to be a lot of obstacles along the way for these diamonds in the rough to transform into championship cornerstones.
NBA analysts even think it would take a good 2 to 3 years for these youngsters to hit their peak and start making the Lakers relevant again in the stacked-up Western Conference.
Still, it's just fair to address whether these ratings are fair or just watered down by all the negativity that happened in the franchise over the last three to four years. So without further ado, here are the ratings for your L.A Lakers.
D'Angelo Russell (79 - Underrated / 80-83 true rating) - Again, this is the first time in the history of NBA 2K Sports but no player on the Lakers roster was able to crack into the 80s of the game's player's ratings.
The closest to reach the mark was Russell, who definitely showed potential in his first tour of duty with the Lakers last year. Sure, there's still a lot of work to do in order for him to take his game to the next level, but his solid stroke from the outside and above average court vision deserves a much higher rating.
Brandon Ingram & Loul Deng (78 - Fair) - Ingram just received a rating traditionally being given to top rookies. While Ingram is oozing with potential, especially in his offensive game, he's still a project that needs reps and experience to meet his ceiling.
As for Deng, he already reached the ceiling three years ago and is on a decline ever since. But the Sudanese-born wingman can still pretty much play ball at this point of his career.
In his last season with the Heat, Deng averaged 12.3 points and 6.0 boards per game, not to mention his incredible performance throughout the playoffs. A rating of 78 sounds like a decent evaluation of the 31-year old Deng.
Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle & Lou Williams (77 rating - fair) - the trio received the score of 77 and it's all fair. Clarkson and Randle are phenomenal young talents who need consistency to become breakout stars. Williams, on the other hand, remains a potent scorer, but his inability to guard his man makes him a defensive liability.
Larry Nance Jr & Timofey Mozgov (75 rating - fair) - Nance proved throughout his rookie season that he got massive hops. Other than that, Nance is still a raw talent that needs a lot of tweaking in his game.
Mozgov is coming off a championship, but everybody remembers that he had a rough 2015-16 season, averaging 6.3 points and 4.4 rebounds in 17.4 minutes per game. A rating of 75 is a bit generous for a player coming off a year like that, but 75 seems okay for an overpaid center.
It would be interesting what will be the player ratings for Marcelo Huertas, Nick Young, Jose Calderon and Antony Brown. But there's absolutely no chance one of them will get the score of 80 or higher.