Summer League will come to an end on Monday night in Las Vegas as the Grizzlies and Timberwolves square off, but the summer action for most of the top rookies ended much earlier.
Zion Williamson played one half of Summer League ball before banging knees with an opponent caused him to be shut down. Ja Morant never appeared in Summer League and neither did Darius Garland, while De’Andre Hunter played in just one game for the Hawks. R.J. Barrett played the most of the top picks, with an up and down performance for the Knicks, but for the most part the top rookies appeared sparingly for their new squads.
Still, the folks at NBA 2K20 are tasked with the unenviable task of rating these players before they play in an NBA game, and typically they stay conservative in the high 70s for the top picks. That held true for four of the top five rookies on their list this year, but Zion Williamson is a special talent and, as such, he received an 81 overall entering his rookie season in New Orleans.
Top 5 Rookies
1. Zion Williamson: 81 OVR
2. Ja Morant: 79 OVR
3. R.J. Barrett: 78 OVR
4. De’Andre Hunter: 77 OVR
5. Darius Garland: 77 OVR
None of the ratings are a huge surprise, and we’ll have to wait until later in the process for the full player ratings for all rookies to be released. For now, the debate will rage on as to whether 81 is too high, too low, or just right for the much-hyped Zion.
