Minnesota Timberwolves: NBA 2K18 Player Rating Predictions
It’ll be an exciting year to own NBA 2K18 for numerous reasons. You’ll get to play with the new and exciting roster and the new court, logo and jerseys will all be available for the first time.
We only know Karl-Anthony Towns rating as of now, but 2K is slowly releasing ratings by the day. The anticipation to see who’s going to be released next is too hard to handle. We will know everything by September 19th – which is when the release date is set for the game.
2K is arguably one of the most popular games among video game lovers and NBA fans. There’s never a dull moment in the game, and it looks to be even better this year. But, let’s not get into the video game specifics. Instead, let’s predict the Timberwolves player ratings for each member of the team.
Karl-Anthony Towns:
2017 Rating: 89
2018 Rating: 91
Why?
We already know his rating, as it was announced a few short weeks ago.
Towns is an absolute beast. 99.9 percent of people would agree with that. If they don’t, then they obviously don’t watch basketball. He does things players dream of doing at his height. He can hit three’s, dunk on you, post up, grab any rebound, ball handles like a guard, and take over a game with ease.
He averaged 25.1 points and 12.3 rebounds a game. The sky’s the limit for this young man, and we should continue to see this player define new heights, and of course, raise that rating even higher. With the improvement of his defensive play, it should certainly rise.
Check this funny video out of Towns’ reaction.
Jimmy Butler:
2017 Rating: 90
2018 Prediction: 91
Why?
If Karl-Anthony Towns receives a 91, then Butler should receive one as well. Paul George received a 91 and he surely is just as good if not better than him because of his ability to play both sides of the ball. Kyrie Irving even received a 90, and Butler is a lot better than he is.
Butler has the ability to score in any fashion, and play great defense. He’s arguably one of the top two-way players in the NBA. That’s why Butler should be receiving a 91.
Andrew Wiggins:
2017 Rating: 84
2018 Prediction: 86
Why?
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This explanation is simple and to the point. Devin Booker received an 86 – let that sink in. Sure he’s a great offensive scorer, but he certainly can’t play defense, if any at all. Andrew is certainly better than Booker offensively and defensively. Wiggins scores more points, get’s more rebounds, steals, blocks, FG percentage, free throws attempted/made, and fewer turnovers. Really the only thing he does better is ball handling, assists, and three-point shooting.
Joel Embiid received an 86 as well, but he is always injured, so it’s a little harder to gauge on that. However, Wiggins is focusing a lot on 3-point shooting and ball handling. If he can improve greatly on that, then it’s going to be impossible to stop him. Expect that rating to get higher as the season goes a long.
Jeff Teague:
2017 Rating: 82
2018 Prediction: 82
Why?
I can’t see why Jeff Teague’s rating would go up or down. He’s hit the point in his career where he isn’t going to get any better, but won’t necessarily decline.
Teague is just 29-years old – averaging 15.3 points a game, 7.8 assists and 4.0 rebounds. He should be able to sustain this level of play as he’s in the steady part of his peak. He should continue to play solid basketball this season, and hover around that 81-83 rating.
Gorgui Dieng:
2017 Rating: 76
2018 Prediction: 77
Why?
NBA 2K has always seemed to have something against Gorgui Dieng. For example, Shabazz Muhammad finished the season as a 77, while Dieng finished as a 76. A lot of people would agree that Dieng is a lot better than Muhammad. He does a lot more for his team such as passing, charges, rebounds, defense and mid-range shots.
The reason he isn’t getting a higher rating is because he isn’t you’re typical “flashy-spacing” power forward. He should be around that 80-82 rating range. But, for some reason, 2K doesn’t care for Dieng, nor does he get the recognition he deserves from others.
Taj Gibson:
2017 Rating: 77
2018 Prediction: 76
Why?
Taj Gibson isn’t getting any older (32). Usually, when a player hits his age – you usually see their play decrease. This isn’t to say that we will never see good play out of him; I’m just stating that his level of play should decrease.
Because he played so well in the playoffs for Oklahoma City; Gibson, should only decrease one rating. If he struggled in the playoffs, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him fall to the 75 range. The thing that is really keeping him afloat is his defensive play. He can’t really shoot, so a lot of his point come from under the rim. But he has the ability to become a defensive stopper and block shots. This is what keeps him still a valuable asset.
Jamal Crawford:
2017 Rating: 77
2018 Prediction: 75
Why?
For Jamal Crawford, he had a down year, averaging only 12.3 points per game. He’s declined mightily over the past four seasons. During the 2013-14′ season, Crawford averaged 18.6 points per game. Since then, he’s only seen his level of play decrease a lot, dropping six points since then.
He’s 37-years old, so it’s understandable. But, he’s only going to decrease his level of play, which is why he earns a 75.
Nemenja Bjelica:
2017 Rating:72
2018 Prediction: 74
Why?
Nemanja Bjleica finished off the season on an impressive run. It was the kind of play that everyone saw when he was overseas winning an MVP. Sadly, it came to end too soon after injuring his foot against the Boston Celtics.
Because of his play at the end of the season, I believe that 2K will reward him and boost his rating by two. As long as he can sustain the same level of play as he did at the end of the season, I don’t see any reason as to why he won’t be higher than a 72.
Tyus Jones:
2017 Rating: 73
2018 Prediction: 73
Why?
Tyus Jones hasn’t really been given the chance to play like he probably thought he would coming out of Duke. Last year he was fighting for the backup point guard with rookie point guard Kris Dunn. So far he is the backup point guard as long as they don’t sign a free agent to take his place.
Until he proves that he can be a leading backup point guard, Jones won’t be seeing his rating go up anytime soon.
Justin Patton:
2017 Rating: N/A
2018 Prediction: 73
Why?
This is a harder prediction to predict because he’s never played an NBA game and he broke his foot already. If he’s healthy I can see 2K just starting him out with a 73 and soon there after fixing his rating the more they see him play at the pro level.
He’s a talented young man out of Creighton – which should help his case for a better rating tthanmost would receive. He’s still raw, but once he develops, he will be a great player.
Cole Aldrich:
2017 Rating: 73
2018 Prediction: 71
Why?
Cole Aldrich averaged just 1.7 points and 2.5 rebounds. With those stats he isn’t going to be going any higher than a 73. If anything, that level of play will decrease his rating. That’s why he should get a 71 because he played so poorly. At least he’s a Minnesota native and has a good amount of size.
Next: Minnesota Timberwolves: Ranking the roster
Anthony Brown:
2017 Rating: 69
2018 Prediction: 68
Why?
Anthony Brown hasn’t really played much pro basketball. He’s played in only 41 games in his three-year career. He’s shot the ball poorly in his three years – only averaging 27.8 percent from three and a 32.4 percent form the field. He most likely will play in Iowa for the season, but he won’t be seeing his rating increase unless he miraculously turns his career around.