Last Friday, video game maker 2K released the latest iteration of their popular NBA franchise, NBA2K20. And while there is still debate between devotees of the NBA2K franchise and those who prefer EA Sports' NBA Live, the early release of NBA2K20 and their close relationship with the league thanks to the NBA2K League has given the 2K franchise a leg-up in the race for NBA game supremacy. And if availability and the opportunity to go pro weren't enough to sway you to the NBA2K side, perhaps their association with Damian Lillard will tip the scales.
With the release of NBA2K20 comes the release of player ratings for all 14 players on Portland's 2019-20 roster. Many of the overall ratings were released prior to the launch of the game, but we now have overall ratings for every player along with complete "simple view" ratings and player designations based off of specific skills and abilities. While there are a couple of ratings worth disputing -- the folks who set the overall rankings must not have read any of the Anfernee Simons profiles written this offseason -- on the whole, it seems like a fair summation of Portland's roster. And the rantings change based on performance in the regular season, so it's very possible that a number of players see their overall go up as the season goes on.
DAMIAN LILLARD: Offensive Threat (Inside Scoring, Mid-Range Scoring, Playmaking)
C.J. MCCOLLUM: Scoring Machine (Mid-Range Scoring, 3PT Scoring, Inside Scoring)
JUSUF NURKIC: 2-Way Mid-Range Finisher (Rebounding, Inside Scoring, Post Defense)
HASSAN WHITESIDE: Paint Beast (Rebounding, Post Defense, Inside Scoring)
RODNEY HOOD: Mid-Range Specialist (Mid-Range Scoring, 3PT Scoring, Inside Scoring)
MARIO HEZONJA: Mid-Range Finisher (Mid-Range Scoring, Inside Scoring, Athleticism)
KENT BAZEMORE: 3-Level Scorer (Perimeter Defense, Mid-Range Scoring, 3PT Scoring)
PAU GASOL: 3-Level Scorer (3PT Scoring, Mid-Range Scoring, Inside Scoring)
ZACH COLLINS: 3-Level Scorer (Inside Scoring, 3PT Scoring, Mid-Range Scoring)
NASSIR LITTLE: Slasher (Inside Scoring, Mid-Range Scoring, Athleticism)
ANTHONY TOLLIVER: Stretch Four (3PT Scoring, Mid-Range Scoring, Basketball IQ):
ANFERNEE SIMONS: Offensive-Minded Point (3PT Scoring, Mid-Range Scoring, Inside Scoring)
GARY TRENT JR.: Mid-Range Specialist (Mid-Range Scoring, Athleticism, Inside Scoring)
SKAL LABISSIERE: Stretch Four (Mid-Range Scoring, 3PT Scoring, Inside Scoring)