NBA 2K12 Player Ratings Revealed

When I was younger, nothing involving video games took up more of my time than editing rosters. This was before they did it for you, and back when the game would arrive without 20-30 legit NBA players in it. There were always guys who would make teams and get run, but wouldn’t be in the game. It shouldn’t have, but it did matter to me who was a 57 and who was a 62.

I had a system that worked for me:
50-59: you were an end-of-bench filler, a journeyman
60-69: you were an average role player, someone who got 5-15 minutes a night
70-79: you were an important role player, a good starter, but not great or All-Star worthy
80-89: you were a star, could sometimes be an All-Star
90-99: the very best players in the league

With basically everything about NBA 2K12 having been released already, pretty much the only thing left was for the roster lineup ratings to be revealed. There was some controversy after it was released that Kobe Bryant wouldn’t be rated as high as LeBron James or even Dwyane Wade in the game (98 to 96 to 94), and there is sure to be more controversy after this article.

Here are some of the notables that were revealed, courtesy of Operation Sports:

Rose – 92
Stephen Jackson – 83
Noah – 82
KG – 83
Pierce – 82
R. Allen – 80
B. Griffin – 85
R. Gay – 86
Z. Randolph – 83
Joe Johnson – 84
J. Smith – 84
Horford – 80
Wade – 96
‘Bron – 98
Bosh – 80
C. Paul – 93
Millsap – 80
A. Jefferson – 81
T. Evans – 80
‘Melo – 91
Amar’e – 88
Billups – 79
Kobe – 94
Gasol -86
D. Howard – 93
Dirk – 85
Butler – 81
D. Williams – 90
W. Chandler – 80
Granger – 81
Prince – 77
RIP – 76
Barbosa – 71
K. Martin – 79
K. Lowry – 76
Scola – 77
T. Parker – 80
Manu – 85
Duncan – 84
Nash – 84
G. Hill – 80
A. Brooks – 75
Westbrook – 88
Durant – 92
Beasley – 78
K. Love – 81
Felton – 75
G. Wallace – 83
L. Aldridge – 83
B. Roy – 78
S. Curry – 80
Ellis – 83
D. Lee – 79
John Wall – 82

Some ratings that stick out almost immediately:
-Dirk is an 85…and Gay is an 86. Now, I love Rudy. He’s one of the chillest dudes in the whole league and a great player. But I think even he’d be shocked if he found out he was rated higher than Dirk.
-Josh Smith is an 84…and Horford is an 80. Anyone who knows basketball knows Horford is a much better and more important player than Smith on that team. The fact that Smith is tied with Joe Johnson for tops on Atlanta doesn’t make much sense at all.
-Chandler is definitely not an 80 overall.
-Is Gerald Wallace just as good as his teammate LaMarcus Aldridge? I think not.

Of course, the thing with 2K ratings is that these aren’t meant to put players in a list from 1-300 of who is the best in the league. 2K changed their ratings a few years ago to better represent positions and strengths/weaknesses. Nowitzki has a lower rating because many of the things a traditional PF does well he doesn’t, while he excels at things smaller players are more known for. Still, some of these ratings stick out.