Maximus89 wrote:Kawhi is a high level role player that fits perfectly into Pops system. 80-85 is a good rating for him. I'm not so sure that his potential should be all that high either considering how many players kill it for the Spurs and then turn to nobodies on other teams. I think Pop and Duncan retire after this season and then we can see how good Kawhi really is. It's just too soon to rank him as a top 10-20 player, insane to think hes a top 4 player.
I think the other 90 besides LeBron, Durant and CP3 will be one of Dwight or Anthony Davis b/c of athleticism and elite defense and avg-to good offense. Melo and Love should be 88 or 89 b/c they don't play any D. You can make a case for Russel Westbrook with his offense, defense and athletic ability.
We just don't know how the ratings system works yet, so hard to predict besides the obvious top 3 players in the NBA.
columbusbobby23 wrote:The spurs don't really have any superstars on their team. But they are a team full of stars. Last years Spurs team is arguably one of the best teams to ever play the game. They did this because they had a great starting five and a deep bench. With Pop's coaching and with them playing basketball fundamentals at it's finest showed us some of the best basketball I have ever seen. Truly some of the best team play you are likely to ever witness. That being said, Kawhi Leonard is definitely an up-an-comer in this league.
Is he a superstar? No.
Is he a star? Some would say yes.
If he is not a star now than he will be very soon if he keeps improving. In 2K14 I bumped up his ratings a few points because I think he is a little better than 2K thinks. With this new rating system I'm guessing he will be in the low 80's. 80 at the least.
These were intelligent and eloquent responses. Even though we disagree, it'll be a pleasure to reply to this.
I agree that Leonard is not a superstar, as this terms also entail a certain lifestyle but that doesn't go along with rankings in my opinion. I consider rankings - based on what they usually are in 2K games - an average of the accumulation of a players individual attributes. So a player who is 90+ should have attributes that range from 80 to 99 and that includes everything: Defense, Agility, Speed, Triple Threat explosiveness, Drives, Long Range Shots, Dribbling, Post moves, Steals, Quickness, Blocks ... etc. I consider Leonard's attributes in all those areas to be 80 to 99.
I mean just check out this highlights video, ok I know it's highlights and they usually show only the best moments of a player, but still the plethora of options in his offense is just amazing:
phpBB [video]
He can drive, he can dunk, he can shoot the 3-pointer, his post moves are on-par if not better than some of the best nba centers, his ability to steal the ball so often and create easy fast break points is a formidable weapon for any coach as it gives you this 4 points advantage (2 points you didn't receive in defence and 2 points you scored easily in offence).
I mean just check minute 6:25 on the video if you're too bored to watch the whole thing... his speed alone would have to be 98 or 99 in the rankings. And those of you who doubt him, tell me, what attribute of his would you give less than 80?
Dwight Howard should not be ranked 90+ in my opinion because his mid-range, long range shooting should be 60 to 70 (and I may be very generous here) and post moves is definitely south of 85 and maybe even lower than 80.
Anthony Davis, I don't know, I haven't watched him enough to form an opinion.
If I had to make a top four in terms of rankings and not in terms of how much TV/people talk about them I'd say:
Kawhai Leonard
Lebron James
Kevin Durant
I need some time to think of the fourth (I'm thinking Dwayne Wade, Tony Parker and Paul George but haven't decided on who would get it, they all have disadvantages)
