'NBA 2K17' Release Date and News: Top 5 NBA Players that Need a Rating Upgrade; Steph Curry and Kristaps Porzingis Among Them
"NBA 2K17" will be released in September 20, 2016 and gamers are anticipating the stat ratings of the NBA players in the game. The upgrade or downgrade of a player's rating in the latest "NBA 2K" most likely depends on their performance in the previous season. While this is good enough, sometimes 2K can't predict how much a player will improve the following year.
Based on the performances of the players from the NBA 2015-16 season, the following players should definitely have a rating upgrade for "NBA 2K17."
1. Steph Curry
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Curry has a rating of 92 in "NBA 2K16," but that wouldn't be enough for 2K17, especially with all the accolades he received in the last season. These include being the first unanimous season MVP in the history of the NBA and the 11th NBA player to win consecutive MVPs.
Curry led the Warriors to the best season record in NBA history, with 73 wins and 9 losses. He also made an NBA record of 402 3-pointers last season, shattering his own previous record of 286 threes in the 2014-15. The Golden State Warriors is also the first team in NBA history to shoot more than 1000 threes (1,077 to be exact) in a season.
Curry averaged 30.1 points, 6.7 assists, and 5.4 rebounds last season.
Because of the impact that Curry has on how NBA is played and shooting 3-point shots from long-range distances at a rate and level never before seen, Curry won his first ESPY award for best record-breaking performance.
2. Kristaps Porzingis
Porzingis is rated in the low 70's in "NBA 2K16," but that does a great disservice to what he has done to the New York Knicks. Although the franchise didn't make it to the playoffs last season, Porzingis was a clutch and versatile player for the Knicks, averaging 14.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game last season.
According to Keith Schlosser of the Knicks blog, "Porzingis rising as a perennial all-star, sooner, rather than later, not only gives the Knicks a reliable and productive performer, but also a very attractive recruiting piece to entice prospective players."
Porzingis may not have won Rookie of the Year (he was second to Karl-Anthony Towns), but he definitely proved his doubters wrong, including the booing Knicks fans during draft night.
3. Karl-Anthony Towns
Last season's NBA Rookie of the Year, Karl-Anthony Towns lived up to the expectations of being the number one overall draft pick with a solid performance for the Timberwolves.
Towns got a rating of 78 for "NBA 2K16," decent, but Towns has proven to be a key piece in the Timberwolves franchise. He averaged a double-double 18.3 points and 10.5 rebounds per game as a rookie, and he deserves a stat boost.
4. LeBron James
LeBron James is the highest-rated player in "NBA 2K16" at 94, and yet he still needs a stat boost if his performance in the playoffs and the 2016 NBA Finals are considered.
James averaged 25.3 points, 6.8 assists, and 7.4 rebounds per game last season. Pretty amazing numbers, but he scored even better in the post-season, including two back-to-back 41-point games in the NBA Finals, which were crucial to the comeback victory of the Cleveland Cavaliers to win the NBA championship.
5. C.J. McCollum
C.J. McCollum won the Most Improved Player award last season, so that should be enough reason to give him a stat boost for "NBA 2K17." He has a consistent 72 rating for the past 3 NBA 2Ks, but that will surely change in the next installment.
Taking a look at the stats from his previous two seasons, one can clearly see his improvement over a couple of areas. In 2014-15, McCollum averaged 6.8 points, 1.5 rebounds, 1.0 assist, and 0.7 steals per game. Last season, McCollum's stats jumped (a big factor here would be that his minutes played per game almost doubled) to 20.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game.
