Nov 2, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (left) talks with Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul (right) prior to the game against the Sacramento Kings at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Chris Paul and Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers are two of the very best players at their respective positions, and in NBA 2K16 they’ve been rewarded for it. With Paul earning an overall rating of 90 and Griffin being rated at 88, both of them have made the top 10 list for 2K16 which is set to release on September 29.
Although, after they both earned All-Star and All-NBA honors with the Clippers last season, whilst recording extremely impressive numbers, should we really have expected any less than a top 10 ranking from 2K sports?
As was released by the official NBA 2K Twitter account, here is the complete list of the 10 best players in the upcoming game:
LeBron James coming in first is a given, as that’s something that goes without saying for the best player in the world. The one thing worth noting, though, is that he’s only rated 94. It’s good that he maybe isn’t the perfect 99 he used to be in recent games, but 94 does seem a little low for the undisputed best player on the planet who ended last season with a herculean effort in the Finals.
Maybe a 96 rating would be more apt for the man that averaged a ridiculous 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds and 8.8 assists per game as he carried his Cleveland Cavaliers through six games against the Golden State Warriors.
For the reigning MVP Stephen Curry, a rating of 93 may seem a little high when compared to other players; specifically another former MVP named Kevin Durant. He may be coming off a 27 game season where he missed significant time due to injury, but there’s an easy argument to make that Durant should be rated higher than Curry. Whether it’s his ability to do more as a 6’9″ scorer, shooting ability from everywhere, rebounding or improved passing, Durant is going to retire as an all-time great player and there’s no way he belongs at number five on the NBA 2K16 list.
If we do accept the fact he’s coming off injury whilst Curry is coming off an MVP-championship winning season, though, it’s still hard to believe that James Harden has managed to come in at 4th above Durant.
January 5, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35, front) and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30, back) during the third quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Thunder 117-91. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
When looking at the rest of the list, everything seems fairly in order as to how these elite players compare in reality. Russell Westbrook narrowly comes in as the 3rd point guard behind Paul and Curry, Anthony Davis is the best power forward with Griffin at 2nd, and Carmelo Anthony (who is still a top player despite the immense struggles of the New York Knicks) comes in at 8th.
There are some issues with the bottom of the list, though. Is Melo — who’s coming off a 40 game season and the worst point production and field goal percentage he’s had in three years — really worse than Griffin? That hardly seems appropriate.
On top of that, is LaMarcus Aldridge really a top 10 player? More to the point, is a big man such as Aldridge better than one of the top few centers in the game such as Marc Gasol or DeMarcus Cousins? Yet again, that doesn’t seem right at all. Aldridge’s defense may be underrated and he’s an exceptional scorer with great mid-range and post-up ability, but he’s not more terrifying at both ends of the floor than someone such as Gasol or Cousins.
As for the Clippers and Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, their rankings in the top 10 make perfect sense. Even though Paul is the best two-way point guard and floor general in the league, he was never going to surpass Curry in 2K16 after the latter was crowned both MVP and NBA champion last season.
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In terms of Griffin’s position, the meteoric rise of Anthony Davis and his defensive abilities give him the edge over Blake as the game’s best power forward. The Clippers’ star may be a superior passer and explosive athlete, but Davis is too fierce as a rim protector and as the sole star on his franchise to be overlooked as the top power forward; both in terms of current talent and potential to improve.
However, when looking over the Clippers’ depth and talent for the upcoming season, the fact that they are one of only two teams (the other being the Oklahoma City Thunder) to have two players featured in the NBA 2K16 top 10 says a lot about what they have to offer. Furthermore, another Clippers star, DeAndre Jordan, wasn’t far off the top 10 either, as he earned a position as the 4th best center in the game with a rating of 84.
The 2015-16 season could be a special one for the Clippers, and when you want to personally take control to see how good they are, you can enjoy using two of the very best players in 2K16.
Next: Los Angeles Clippers: Top 5 Power Forwards of All Time