2K Updates: Scottie, Jakob, and Gradey among the Raptors with a new OVR
Bias or not, it’s hard not to think most of the Raptors are still rated too low.
It’s been a couple of months since 2K was released, and since then, there have been a number of changes to player ratings. There’s been no shortage of opinions related to the changes, even from the NBA players. James Harden is now an 86 OVR, up 2 from the initial release and went on social media to post the update with a laughing emoji.
Some of the Raptors have also seen changes, not without their controversy either.
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Scottie (86)
Other players at 86: Jalen Johnson, Tyler Herro, Brandon Ingram
Scottie has seen an uptick since the release, moving up a single point since starting at 85. Partially to blame for the small change is more than likely the games he missed due to injury. Since his return on November 21, he’s put up some impressive stats, averaging almost 21 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists per game. He’s been great defensively as well, and has made the team look far better than the tanking teams. If this continues, he should climb, especially when you compare him to players currently ranked above him:
Derrick White is 87 while averaging only 17-5-5, Evan Mobley is an 88, despite putting up only 19-9-3, and Jalen Williams is an 88 on 22-6-5. The primary difference? They’re all on the top three teams in the league. Perhaps if the win record improves, so will Scottie’s rating, but it’s unfair to not see him climb more despite the Raptors standing, especially with the way he’s been playing.
Consensus: Scottie should be an 88.
Davion (75)
Other players at 75: James Wiseman, Paul Reed, Ryan Dunn
Davion is averaging 7-2-5 this season, which aren’t necessarily numbers that jump off the page, but he is statistically better than all the names listed above that earned the same OVR. His offence isn’t his claim to fame though. Raps fans are well aware of his nickname “off-night”, a moniker he earned through defence. This season alone, he’s already posted two games with an over 20 +/-.
The main point of concern here isn’t that 75 is too low, more of the problem is that he’s actually gone down 1 since the game’s release.
Consensus: He should be back at 76.
RJ (86)
Other players at 86: Jalen Johnson, Tyler Herro, Brandon Ingram
To quell some of the frustration about Raptors being perpetually under-graded, RJ has actually seen a massive improvement since game release. Originally, he was rated as an 81 OVR, but since then, has climbed to an 86. Not undeserving, since he’s averaging 23-6-6 on 46% shooting. The highlight plays from the season keep coming too, with his cuts to the rim and driving layups continuing to impress.
Consensus: RJ has gotten some of the respect he deserves, 86 is good for now.
Poeltl (84)
Other players at 84: Norman Powell, Cam Thomas, CJ McCollum
Being the second in the league on offensive rebounds and fourth in total rebounds, Jak has had an excellent season so far. He’s averaging 16 and 11 on almost 60% shooting. He had 13 double-doubles this season and set a career-high 35 points back in November against Boston. The uptick of +2 to his OVR is very deserved, now sitting only 1 below Nikola Vucevic, and rated 2 higher than Brook Lopez.
Consensus: They got it right.
Gradey (81)
Other players at 81: Clint Capela, Christian Braun, Buddy Hield
At the time of the game’s release, Gradey was rated an abysmal 76 OVR. It didn’t take long for that to skyrocket to 82, especially given his dynamic play early in the season. Averaging 18-3-2, Gradey has set, and then reset, and then reset, and then reset his career high this season, now sitting at 35 points. Over the last 10 games, he’s shooting 39% from long range, 42% from the field, and 93% from the free-throw line.
He missed five games due to injury, but he has dropped now to 81 with the most recent update. Some of the players above him, like Amen Thompson (11-7-2) and Malcolm Brogdon (14-4-2) suggest that maybe knocking him down wasn’t the greatest decision.
Consensus: Give him back the 82.
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With the Raptors continuing to impress this season, it is undoubtable their OVR scores should continue to improve, but whether they will or not will remain to be seen.