Have you ever looked at your NBA 2K team, then at the NBA in real life, then back at the game, and noticed that it doesn’t quite match up? As much as the team at 2K tries to make the in-game players as realistic as possible in terms of skill level and attributes, they are never quite perfect, are they? For instance, somebody like Darius Garland, with his elite shooting and athleticism, is a lot more valuable in the game than someone like Paolo Banchero, who lacks those qualities but is still rated higher than him in the game and is generally considered a better player than Garland in real life.
NBA 2K is like a funhouse mirror image of the real NBA. This mirror minimizes the impact of attributes like ball handling, defensive IQ, passing stats, and post-play while maximizing shooting, athleticism, speed, layups, stealing, and blocks. This funhouse mirror can make some players into all-stars and others into flops, and this happens the most frequently in upcoming rookies. Usually, 2K will buff or nerf players’ stats based on player reputation, but with young guys, their ratings can swing quite a bit until they are established in the league.
