Detroit Pistons star Blake Griffin had his render in NBA 2K19 released on Monday, and it is one of the most accurate recreations of an athlete I’ve seen in a sports video game.
SACRAMENTO, CA – MARCH 19: Blake Griffin #23 of the Detroit Pistons looks on during warmups prior to the start of an NBA basketball game against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center on March 19, 2018 in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
However, the rating he received from 2K is causing a stir. first, let’s look at the render:
…@NBA2K @Ronnie2K #NBA2K19 pic.twitter.com/njybhf4qVG
— Blake Griffin (@blakegriffin23) August 14, 2018
As you can see from the screenshot, Griffin is rated an 86. That’s a pretty strong number and it makes him one of the higher-rated players revealed thus far in the game, but when comparing his rating to some of the others we’ve learned about, it seems like a slight.
The player most commonly referenced by fans who took issue with the rating is Boston Celtics second-year player Jayson Tatum. The 20-year-old is coming off a promising season that saw him finished third in the Rookie of the Year race. Tatum, the Utah Jazz’s Donovan Mitchell, who was the runner-up and the league’s top rookie, the Philadelphia 76ers’ Ben Simmons were all given a rating of an 87.
The statement that is being made with these ratings, while only a one-point difference, is that three rookies–especially Tatum who had the most modest stats of the trio–are better than an established star like Griffin. It might not be that Griffin is underrated, but that Tatum is overrated. It’s hard to support the young Celtics’ mark in 2K based on his production last season.
The 29-year-old Griffin is coming off a season where he averaged 21.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game splitting time between the Pistons and the Los Angeles Clippers. Griffin’s field goal percentage did take a significant dip from previous seasons. In fact, he made a career-low 44 percent of his shots from the field. He took a career-high 5.6 threes per game making a respectable 34.6 percent of them, but the effort to extend his range impacted his shooting percentages overall.
Also, the 7.4 rebounds per game are low for a power forward. The ratings are position specific. The system weighs some categories heavier if the attribute is generally more valued for the position. That’s why Griffin’s modest rebound average might have had a negative effect on his rating. That said, it’s hard to believe a player like Simmons is being evaluated as a point guard if his rating is an 87.
He played the point most of the year last season, yet he didn’t make one three-point shot. Because of the way the rating system works, it’s hard to imagine a point guard with that low of a three-point percentage getting an 87. That leads me to believe his rating is based on a small forward’s scale, which would technically be inaccurate.
Simmons was clearly effective as a point guard, but if you put him at the 1-spot, his rating probably drops at least four points. Perhaps in light of the way basketball has changed over the past 5-10 years, 2K should revisit its rating system to better account for positionless basketball.
His 87 seems to be based on potential, which almost no one questions. We’ll see who performs at the highest level once the real season begins.
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