Friday’s release of NBA 2K21 brought with a wide mixing range of reactions to the ratings. Josh Hart expressed some anger to one specific rating while Lonzo Ball’s 77 rating, the lowest of his career, came as quite a surprise.
Ratings in 2K, though, are entirely relative. Some context is gained by looking at the rest of the Pelicans. Ball comes in as the fifth highest-rated player on the team with Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson both receiving 86 ratings to lead the team. Jrue Holiday holds an 83 rating and JJ Redick a 78. Derrick Favors also has a 77 rating.
When looking at other guards who are also rated 77, there’s a mixed bag of comparisons. Alec Burks of the Sixers and Elfrid Payton of the Blazers both are 77s as is Coby White of Chicago, Jalen Brunson of the Mavericks and Gary Trent, Jr. of the Blazers.
Ball’s 2017 draft class has had some mixed returns. The No. 1 pick in Markelle Fultz, now in Orlando, has had a winding story in the league but the 2019-20 season saw him bounce back to a regular contributor for the Magic, leading to a 77 rating as well. Boston’s Jayson Tatum, the star of the class, holds an 89 rating while Sacramento’s De’Aaron Fox has an 85 rating and Memphis’ Josh Jackson a 73 rating to round out the top five picks.
Ball is one of a host of former Lakers that have been moved around the league as Los Angeles pieced together a team led by LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Ball and Ingram’s teammate Josh Hart has a 75 rating while Utah’s Jordan Clarkson, a teammate of Ball’s for half a season, is rated 78. New York’s Julius Randle, who spent one season with Ball, is rated an 80 while Washington’s Thomas Bryant, who was released in the summer of 2019, is rated a 79. D’Angelo Russell is the standout former Laker in Minnesota with an 84 rating.
Ball is one of the top players in the league from UCLA, though. Houston’s Russell Westbrook is the top at 88 while Chicago’s Zach Lavine is an 85. Holiday, as mentioned, is 83-rated, Kevin Love is 82-rated with the Cavaliers and Norman Powell is 77-rated with the Raptors.
When it comes to specific attributes, Ball’s highest is his 90-rated pass perception. That ranks tied for 13th in the league with Tatum, Jae Crowder, Andre Drummond and Corey Brewer. Ball’s pass IQ is 89, ranking in a tie for 20th in the league with the likes of Ben Simmons and Kyrie Irving, among others. His 88 pass accuracy ranks him in a tie for 11th, again matching Irving’s rating along with multiple others.
While the specifics of Ball’s attributes may be generally on the right track, it’s hard to rationalize the drop in rating give his increase in production this season. Then again, it’s a video game where you can basically change any rating you want.
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