Adding more sweat to already-impressive graphics may not be the most proactive approach to marketing a video game, but forNBA 2K — one of the sports-game market's top selling franchises of all-time — it works.
Not only does releasing a new set of player renders draw social media attention, it also sparks conversation, and that's even before the trailer comes out. When that hits the internet, it's safe to say that NBA fans have plenty to talk about, positive or negative.
This season's trailer featured some of the league's top moments from last season, including Jimmy Butler's iconic squatting "T" celebration against the Bucks in the First Round and the ever-exciting Steph Curry turnaround 3-pointer celebration.
While a good amount of the gameplay seen in the trailer was taken from actual moments last season, there was one moment in particular that caught fans' attention simply because it hasn't happened yet:
Dallas' Dwight Powell was seemingly the first victim of aVictor Wembanyama rejection.
The play, which saw the Dallas guard attempt a midrange corner shot, was used to highlight both Wembanyama's height and his expected defensive impact for theSan Antonio Spurs this season, which does sensegiven the rookie's all-time best inaugural 2K rating of 84. But how accurate is that rating?
Sure, it can be argued that Ronnie 2K and company decided to make his rookie ratingsky-highto add to the hype surrounding the 7-4 center, but if anything is certain, putting a player who hasn't played in a regular-season NBA game higher than some of the NBA's multi-year veterans does call for conversation.
So, as the Spurs rookie now faces a Goldilocks situation, where should his true rating fall? Let's check it out:
1) The "Too-High" Argument
Likely the stance that a majority of social media has adopted — calling Wembanyama overrated — is no exception here. One of the big issues about the social media-heavy modern NBA is the draw of certain players, markets and teams over other ones. In the past, you wouldn't find much about the Spurs on ESPN's social media channels, but rather multiple over the Los Angeles Lakers andLeBron James.
That narrative has changed since June, however, when Victor Wembanyama officially became a Spur andbegan his NBA journey in San Antonio. Adding the French phenom helped San Antonio to gain instant recognition, which makes sense given how exciting Wembanyama is expected to be, but naturally, that didn't come without backlash.
Wembanyama hasn't played an NBA game officially, so to rate him higher than other returning stars like Fred VanVleet, Jordan Poole,Jerami Grant and evenKeldon Johnson seems to be out of place, or intentionally designed to spark controversy.
That argument makes sense from the experience standpoint, but it also isn't taking the video-game aspect into consideration. If an eight-year-old kid who loves the Spurs logs onto 2K and plays as San Antonio, their center will be 7-4 inches and likely living at the rim. Wembanyama will do much more than just that, but for many recreational players, he'll act almost as a cheat code. Still, without experience, the integrity of the rating could be too high without having seen Wembanyama's level of consistency.
2) The "Too-Low" Argument
This stance may be reserved only for Spurs fans, but once again will involve the pure uniqueness that Wembanyama brings to the table, even as a rookie. He's already proven to have a promising jumpshot and strong court awareness — both desirable traits for a big man in today's NBA.
Not only that, but off the court, Wembanyama has shown that he's down to Earth and a genuine person, which to some might be worth a few extra rating points on its own. Wembanyama has the potential to be a league-changing talent. He has the potential to bring the Spurs a championship, and he certainly has the potential to be the next big thing in the league, which has led some to believe that he should be treated as such already, even without having played.
However he pans out, there also remains the cheat-code aspect, which is in fact difficult to ignore, especially if Wembanyama's jump-shot starts to fall more consistently. That, combined with his already proven talents, makes for a strong rookie — perhaps one deserving of a higher rating than 84. Unfortunately for those in favor of giving the Spurs rookie a rating boost, they'll have to wait until he shows a little more of his potential on the court this season.
3) The "Just Right" Argument
When Victor Wembanyama stood across from Ronnie 2K — the founder of NBA 2K — and opened his initial rating, he didn't seem disappointed.
"That's nice, that's alright," Wembanyama said to Ronnie. "Yeah, yeah, yeah."
If the French phenom himself approves, it should factor into how accurate it is, but then again, supporters of the "too-high" argument wouldn't like that very much.
Wembanyama went onto say that he would become a 90 by the end of the season, paving the way for his on-court performance to further adjust his rating. And if that does end up being the case, playing with the San Antonio Spurs would become that much easier ... and exciting.
However it's framed, Wembanyama's highest-ever rookie rating only adds to theexpectations set for him ahead of this season in San Antonio. Whether or not he lives up the hype has yet to be determined, but he certainly is going to try. And with an 84 rating under his belt, he might have fun playing himself online, too.
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