'NBA 2K17' Preview, Trailer and Release Date: Rookie Ratings Leaked; Karl Anthony Towns, D'Angelo Russell Get Boosts
"NBA 2K17" hits the shelves in less than a month, and fans are craving for more information as the release dates draws near.
Luckily, Ronnie 2K has taken to Twitter, pandering to NBA stars and rookies' request to leak their ratings. Not only that—the whole Miami Heat team's ratings have been revealed as well.
The rising bigman
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One of the prominent ratings Ronnie 2K revealed was that of Karl-Anthony Towns, the Minnesota Timberwolves rookie and the former star of his college Kentucky team.
The bigman got a significant bump in his ratings for this year's title, from 78 in 2K16 to 88. It was no surprise to fans, as the center was crowned Rookie of the Year last season.
To get such recognition, Towns had to post per-game averages of 18.3 points off 55 percent shooting, 10.5 rebounds and 1.7 blocks. Thus, it took him just a year to establish himself as an anticipated All-Star in the following seasons.
The no-show
Joel Embiid also got his ratings leaked, staying in the midcard 77. It was a pretty good number, as Embiid stated himself—especially for a center who did not even play a single game for the his first two seasons.
The 7-foot giant was selected third overall by a struggling Philadelphia 76ers team, only to lose him to a surgery on a broken navicular bone that sidelined him for the next two seasons.
The highest-picked Cameroonian player's return, however, may provide hope for the Sixers, who finished last in the league last season. Embiid was underwhelming in terms of offense in his Kansas college team, but he did average 2.6 blocks per game.
The Lakers' centerpiece
Los Angeles star D'Angelo Russell got his own developments, too. Coming off an impressive 2014-15 season, Russell got a 79 rating from the 2K team—a potential premonition of his rise to stardom in the Hollywood hardcourt.
The young sophomore averaged 13.3 points and 3.3 assists per game, becoming one of the few bright spots of a Lakers team deep into rebuilding mode with Kobe Bryant leaving.
Sweet first times
Ben Simmons played only 33 games in a short-lived college career, but the star had already drawn comparisons to the King, Lebron James.
He led LSU with averages of 19.2 points, 11.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game, with the same all-around game James operated with during his title run.
As such, Simmons also got a thumbs-up from 2K, with the 2016 No. 1 pick getting a 79 rating. This is the highest rating among all rookies in NBA 2K history.
Fans do not need to wait too long to try out their favorite players, as NBA 2K17 will be available September 20 on PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC.
