Getty Russell Westbrook
The latest version of the popular video game series, NBA 2K20 is set to be released on September 6, and in turn, the ratings for players are slowing being released. The first round was revealed on Monday and it featured the 20 best players in the game coming to light.
While there were a number of players who the game appears to have gotten correct with their initial ratings, others appear to be either a bit too high or too low. We’re going to take a look at the ratings which have been released thus far and breakdown the most underrated names from the top tier.
There’s no better place to begin than with Mr. Triple-Double himself, Russell Westbrook, who certainly didn’t get enough love. But before we go there, let’s take a look at the first run of ratings, which were revealed on a Twitter stream from NBA 2K20.
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NBA 2K20 Ratings: Top-20 Players
*Note: Each number is the player’s overall rating.
- LeBron James: 97
- Kawhi Leonard: 97
- Giannis Antetokounmpo: 96
- James Harden: 96
- Kevin Durant: 96
- Stephen Curry: 95
- Anthony Davis: 94
- Paul George: 93
- Damian Lillard: 92
- Joel Embiid: 91
- Kyrie Irving: 91
- Nikola Jokic: 90
- Russell Westbrook: 90
- Klay Thompson: 89
- Karl-Anthony Towns: 89
- Kemba Walker: 88
- Jimmy Butler: 88
- Donovan Mitchell: 88
- Blake Griffin: 88
- Rudy Gobert: 88
Most Underrated Players Among NBA 2K20 Ratings
GettyPortland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard
While there are a number of players who you’ll have a tough time arguing with, names like Westbrook aren’t receiving the praise they deserve. He’s not the only one, but after a season playing alongside MVP candidate Paul George and still posting huge numbers, the former Oklahoma City Thunder star makes the list.
Russell Westbrook & Damian Lillard
Westbrook has now averaged a triple-double in three consecutive seasons and isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. Even during George’s MVP season in 2018-19, Westbrook, who’s now a member of the Houston Rockets, posted marks of 22.9 points, 11.1 rebounds and 10.7 assists per game.
Even while factoring in those numbers and his impact on the game, Westbrook comes in three points behind his former teammate in George and also trails Kyrie Irving. His 90 rating puts him just two points ahead of solid players in Kemba Walker, Jimmy Butler and Donovan Mitchell, but the difference should likely be larger than that.
As far as Damian Lillard goes, a 92 rating doesn’t appear drastically far off, but he deserves to be a bit higher. There’s a common theme that Lillard doesn’t receive the praise as a top-tier star that he should. After four-straight seasons averaging more than 25 points per game, he had an incredibly well-rounded year in 2018-19.
Lillard posted marks of 25.8 points, 6.9 assists and 4.6 rebounds while shooting 44.4 percent from the field and 36.9 percent from beyond the arc. He’s in the argument as the NBA’s best point guard, and the player who earns that title or is even in the mix should be rated above a 92.
Anthony Davis’ NBA 2K20 Rating Too Low
It appears that the situation with Anthony Davis at the end of the 2018-19 season following trade chatter which led to his workload being decreased may have impacted the star forward. Although a 94 rating is nothing to turn your nose up at, Davis has consistently been at the forefront of the debate for the NBA’s best big man and is an absolute force on both ends of the floor.
But while other top NBA stars received ratings of 95 or higher, Davis comes in slightly too low. While I don’t think this is drastically disrespectful, it wouldn’t be surprising if the new Los Angeles Lakers star proves to be deserving of a higher mark than he got here. After all, prior to last year, Davis averaged 28.0 and 28.1 points, along with more than 11.0 rebounds per game in the two previous seasons.
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NBA 2K20 Ratings: Russell Westbrook Among Most Underrated Stars