Kevin Knox 76

Kevin Knox is coming into his rookie season with quite a bit of fanfare. He’s already being compared to the likes of Jayson Tatum and (don’t laugh) Kevin Durant. He has yet to prove anything besides the fact that he can make a highlight reel with some of his high-flying dunks.

But he’s still seen as a possible favorite to win Rookie of the Year next season, among the likes of Luka Doncic, Deandre Ayton and others. The developers are kind to the rookie with a 76.

Frank Ntilikina 76

Frank Ntilikina finally escapes his teenage years and although he looked lost at times during his rookie season, he’s bound to show some steady improvement next year. Ntilikina showed an increased aggressiveness in the Las Vegas Summer League and although those games mean absolutely nothing, we’re talking about a video game here.

The French Prince taking a step back would be a huge surprise. After an up-and-down rookie campaign, expect more consistency from the second-year player. He gets a bump up to 76 based partly on the workout videos he’s released this offseason.

Noah Vonleh 74

Noah Vonleh played his best basketball of the season in his short stint with the Chicago Bulls last season. He averaged 6.9 points and 6.9 rebounds per game in just 19 minutes of action per game. He finished the NBA 2K18 season at a 74 rating and the former lottery pick probably won’t move much off this number.

If he does it will only be one point above or below, but for now, we’re leaving him at 74.

Courtney Lee 73

Another year wiser for Courtney Lee? Maybe, but the NBA veteran is another year older as well. The 11-year veteran will be a 33-year-old by the time the season starts and generally speaking, players don’t get better at this point in their careers.

Of course, Lee saw no dropoff in play last season. He shot the ball well from deep, provided a needed scoring touch, and still defended fairly well. But eventually, Lee’s performance has to drop off. The developers are sure to be aware of the fact that in his final 16 games of the season, Lee’s scoring average dropped to a mere 8.1 points.

Emmanuel Mudiay 73

Emmanuel Mudiay’s rating hovered around 73 for the majority of the 2017-18 season. Without showing any serious growth after his trade from the Denver Nuggets to the Knicks, is there any reason to believe he’ll see big movement one way or the other? No.

He’ll bring up the rear of the Knicks’ point guard triad and although the former lottery pick was once seen as a can’t miss prospect, now he’s viewed as a bottom-tier player.

Lance Thomas 70

Lance Thomas is just bland. He doesn’t score a whole lot. He shoots well from three, but he doesn’t shoot much. He does the little things and defends well. He’s a good guy to have in the building and around younger players, but these things don’t translate to the world of NBA 2K19.

He remained at 70 for the final 23 weeks of the 2017-18 season. There’s a better chance that the developers forget to change his rating than anything else.

 
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NY/NJ hoops reporter (NBA/NCAA) & sports betting writer for XL Media. Never had the makings of a varsity athlete.