Monday, June 24, 2013

NBA 2K Ratings: Signature Skills-Kyrie Irving

   With the league  evolving into more of a transition game, almost the 1-5 have to be mobile. Nowadays the point guard through small forward has to basically be interchangeable, the 4 has to be able to have at least a mid range shot, and the 5 needs to have the ability to keep up with the pace. In the transition game, it all starts with the point guard controlling the floor. To be a championship contender in the NBA, you must have a great point guard (with the exception of the Pacers and Heat). In this article, we will focus on a particular rising star: Kyrie Irving.


   The 21 year old is the star player for the Cleveland Cavaliers. In 2K, players are assessed each year. In NBA 2K 12, Kyrie is rated an 81. After his rookie of the year season, he was rated in 89. But this leaves a few questions: What was improved in his game on the 'game' for him to raise to an 89? Well looking at individual ratings, you don't see much change.  The only ratings that improve are his handles (A to A+) and his IQ (B to A-). What does change is his general ratings. In 2K 12, his offense is an "84" , while his defense is a "73". The very next year, his offensive rating is a "90", and his defense is a "81". In 2K 13, signature skills make the difference. Signature skills allow the player to have have a special edge because of their greatness in different areas of their games. For Kyrie, he has four: Finisher (defender's ability to affect the shot decreases by 30%), Shot Creator (higher percentage of making shots when he creates them), Closer(raises game for most of 4th quarter and overtime), and Anti-Freeze (rarely goes cold). 

Like Kyrie, many others have signature skills that defines what strength a player has; and if 2K decides to continue using the signature skills, watch out! Kyrie's only 21.