Opinions differ.
In NBA Live 16, Clippers point guard Chris Paul was rated the best player at his position, with a player rating of 95. In NBA 2K16, the lead competition to EA Sports’ recovering basketball video game franchise, Paul has been rated the second best point guard in the game with a rating of 91, behind 2015 MVP and NBA champions Stephen Curry, of the Golden State Warriors.
While I don’t necessarily agree with the numerical ratings 2K has given Paul — and other point guards of that matter — Chris’s placement is what I’d deem perfect; just below NBA MVP and champion Stephen Curry and right above the enigmatic Russell Westbrook. What hurts Paul the most among fans is his game lacks the dynamic touch, opposite of similar-tiered peers in Curry, Westbrook, and Kyrie Irving, aka he doesn’t score enough points and when he does, the task isn’t done in a entertaining or dominating matter. But everywhere else, Paul is near perfect, as he’s up to the responsibility of guarding top point guards, is an elite playmaker, can knock down the three, and has created a reputation for being reliable in clutch moments — if anyone knows, San Antonio Spurs fans know.
Sir Charles In Charge
After the top 10 listing on Twitter, a 2K Sports developer released more point guard ratings but Clippers reservers Austin Rivers (may be included as shooting guard) and Pablo Prigioni were not included in the bunch.
As always, my complaints about video game point guard ratings lead me directly to Portland point guard Damian Lillard. In the three seasons he’s been in the NBA, Lillard has probably surpassed expectations placed upon the Weber State product, but with that said, he’s still massively overrated, in video game life and among regular conversations. The why is simple: he scores lots of points, does it in a pretty stellar manner, and after all, the objective of basketball is to outscore your opponent by the end of the fourth quarter. Unfortunately for Lillard, his efficiency is sometimes an issue and more often than not, his defense is deep in the negative; without going too in-depth, I’d simply say some guards deserve to be ahead of him, like Memphis’ Mike Conley, Toronto’s Kyle Lowry, and Miami’s Goran Tragic, and possibly Atlanta’s Jeff Teague — it’s a case of ceiling vs. floor with Teague.
And then there’s Derrick Rose, who people can’t help but overrate because they refuse to accept him not being the player who hijacked MVP under the noses of prime Dwight Howard and LeBron James. Rose isn’t the first guard in league history to decline because of injury and injury only; Penny Hardaway is a past notable whose career arch resembles Rose’s, but the truth is Rose isn’t the guy we saw in 2011, regardless of the “every other night” flashes we catch from the Chicago Bull.
With points guards out of the way, I suspect shooting guard ratings will be released by 2K Sports next as they continue to rev up promotion for their late September release. And as usual, I suspect J.J. Redick, the team’s best shooting guard, to be rated as the team’s worst rotation shooting guard, with Jamal Crawford and Lance Stephenson, both who were considerably worse than Redick through all of the 2014-15 season, rated better. Because that’s how it works.
After the shooting guards come small forwards, where Paul Pierce will be somewhere around 78 through 81, power forwards, where Blake Griffin will be towards the top if not no.1 (I suspect Anthony Davis to hold that spot), and centers, where DeAndre Jordan will be handsomely rated after a career-best season. When those are posted, we’ll as always, deliver an update because we over here oh-so love basketball video games.
Next: Los Angeles Clippers: Top 5 Small Forwards of All-Time