NBA 2K15 Roster Analysis - 10/29/14 (Opening Night)

2K Sports has pulled no punches in addressing their NBA 2K roster issues.  For the first time ever, we have daily roster updates and full NBA rosters, a "Living Roster" that has long been advertised but not adequately delivered until now.

NEW PLAYERS
For the first time ever, 2K Sports is not missing any players entering the season.  The fans have asked for this and 2K finally answered.

Some of these players were added earlier in the month, but I think the opening night roster is a fine time to highlight them all.

Jakarr Sampson (63/SF) - 76ers
Damian Inglis (69/SF) - Bucks
Joe Harris (66/SG) - Cavaliers
Alex Kirk (65/C) - Cavaliers
Dwight Powell (66/PF) - Celtics
Mike Muscala (67/C) - Hawks
Andre Dawkins (65/SG) - Heat
Joe Ingles (68/SF) - Jazz
Eric Moreland (65/PF) - Kings
Travis Wear (66/PF) - Knicks
Devyn Marble (68/SF) - Magic
Cory Jefferson (66/PF) - Nets
Jerome Jordan (66/C) - Nets
Jorge Gutierrez (65/PG) - Nets
Erick Green (69/PG) - Nuggets
Damjan Rudez (71/SF) - Pacers
Shayne Whittington (65/C) - Pacers
Patric Young (67/PF) - Pelicans
Spencer Dinwiddie (69/PG) - Pistons
Lucas Nogueira (67/C) - Raptors
Kostas Papanikolaou (71/SF) - Rockets
Joey Dorsey (69/C) - Rockets
Tariq Black (69/PF) - Rockets
Clint Capela (67/PF) - Rockets
Zoran Dragic (72/SG) - Suns
Grant Jerrett (67/PF) - Thunder
Glenn Robinson III (67/SF) - Timberwolves
Casper Ware (66/PG) - Free Agent
Jason Kapono 65/SG) - Free Agent
Shane Edwards (63/SF) - Free Agent
D.J. Mbenga (63/C) - Free Agent

That's about 31 new players by my count.  As recently as two years ago the game was missing 30 players entering the season.

PLAYER RATING CHANGES
There are none.  It's the first day of the season.  2K has previously edited players during the preseason, but there wasn't much need given the vast overhaul it gave player ratings over the summer.

POSITION CHANGES
Subsequent Overall rating change listed if applicable.
PG: Tony Wroten (-2), E'Twaun Moore, Jared Cunningham, Toure Murry, Russ Smith, Jason Terry
SG: Chris Johnson, Jerryd Bayless (+1), Jared Dudley (-1), Tony Snell, James Young, Nick Young, Bojan Bogdanovic, Cartier Martin, Zach LaVine
SF: Tony Allen (+1), Kent Bazemore (-3), Gerald Henderson (-1), Reggie Bullock, Xavier Henry (-1), Joe Johnson
PF: Nerlens Noel, Hedo Turkoglu, Marvin Williams (-1), Enes Kanter (+1), Jason Smith
C: John Henson, Elton Brand, Derrick Favors, Andrea Bargnani (-3), Ed Davis,

2K adjusted these to reflect depth charts moving forward, which also reflects what I've been doing in my personal rosters for a long time.  For example: Gerald Henderson might be a natural SG, but he's expected to play most of his minutes at SF due to the roster composition.  Which means he needs his position changed or the AI won't optimize the roster efficiently (on and off the court).

Missing Position Changes
PG: Devin Harris (DAL), Jimmer Fredette (NOP), C.J. McCollum (POR)
SG: Quincy Pondexter (MEM), Alan Anderson (BRK), Austin Rivers (NOP), Goran Dragic (PHX), Corey Brewer (MIN), Chase Budinger (MIN), Leandro Barbosa (GSW), Rasual Butler (WAS)
SF: Vince Carter (MEM), Lance Thomas (OKC), Brandon Rush (GSW), Martell Webster (WAS)
PF: Jabari Parker (MIL), Steve Novak (UTA), Josh Smith (DET), Tony Mitchell (DET), Draymond Green (GSW)
C: Jason Maxiell (CHA), Greg Monroe (DET), Tariq Black (HOU), Mitch McGary (OKC), DeJuan Blair (WAS)

On the fence about Enes Kanter (C from PF), Nick Young (SF from SG), Kyle O'Quinn (C from PF), and Devin Harris (SG from PG).  Those players are fine now but should probably shift once players recover from injury.

INJURIES
2K made injuries much more accessible this year, finally providing users the ability to edit injuries (including their expected return dates), making 2K's updates worth downloading year-round for the first time ever.  The only game mode injuries will directly impact are Online Quick Matches.

Users can also download Injury-Free rosters, a boon for anyone who wants to play with updated rosters but still use oft-injured Derrick Rose.   It probably would have been a disaster for 2K if cover-boy Kevin Durant weren't usable for 2 months due to his injury, so this is a win-win for the company and its fans.

ETA Return Dates
Day-To-Day: 1 (Still playable)
1-2 weeks: 12
2-4 weeks: 2
4-6 weeks: 3
1-2 months: 1
6-8 weeks: 4
8-10 weeks: 1
6-8 months (Out for season): 6

It's worth noting that during press-time Wayne Ellington had his injury removed and Julius Randle had his added.  That captures 2K's commitment to updated rosters moving forward.

Only one player was listed as DTD but I'm sure that will pick up.  It's still worth noting that some players are deactivated but have no injury status.
Active (0 minutes): Jose Calderon, Kevin Martin, Brook Lopez
Inactive (Reserve): Greg Monroe, P.J. Tucker, David Lee

If I check the roster and see David Lee is healthy, then pick the Warriors in an Online game and come to find he's not active (Rotations can't be checked from the NBA Today screen), I wouldn't be pleased.  The confusion can be avoided by simply DTDing those players going forward.  No reason to skimp and go half-way when these are going to be updated regularly.

Nick Calathes' 13-game suspension is also missing.  There is an option for "Suspension" in the injury status menu.  If it's there, it should be used.  This would likewise avoid confusion for users who pick the Pistons expecting to use Greg Monroe.

76ers: Michael Carter-Williams (1-2 weeks), Jerami Grant (1-2 weeks), Joel Embiid (6-8 months), Jason Richardson (6-8 months)
Bucks: Johnny O'Bryant (4-6 weeks), Damian Inglis (6-8 weeks)
Bulls: None
Cavaliers: None
Celtics: Vitor Faverani (6-8 weeks)
Clippers: None
Grizzlies: None
Hawks: None
Heat: Josh McRoberts (DTD)
Hornets: None
Jazz: None
Kings: None
Knicks: Andrea Bargnani (1-2 weeks)
Lakers: Ryan Kelly (1-2 weeks), Nick Young (2-4 weeks), Steve Nash (6-8 months), Julius Randle (6-8 months)
Magic: Channing Frye (1-2 weeks), Victor Oladipo (4-6 weeks)
Mavericks: Raymond Felton (1-2 weeks)
Nets: None
Nuggets: None
Pacers: David West (1-2 weeks), C.J. Watson (1-2 weeks), George Hill (2-4 weeks), Paul George (6-8 months)
Pelicans: None
Pistons: Jodie Meeks (1-2 months)
Raptors: None
Rockets: None
Spurs: Kawhi Leonard (1-2 weeks), Tiago Splitter (1-2 weeks), Patrick Mills (6-8 months)
Suns: T.J. Warren (1-2 weeks)
Thunder: Reggie Jackson (1-2 weeks), Jeremy Lamb (1-2 weeks), Anthony Morrow (4-6 weeks), Mitch McGary (6-8 weeks), Kevin Durant (8-10 weeks)
Timberwolves: None
Trail Blazers: None
Warriors: None
Wizards: Bradley Beal (6-8 weeks)

TEAM RATING CHANGES

EASTERN CONFERENCE
91 Cavaliers (NC)
89 Bulls (-1)
86 Hornets (+1)
86 Raptors (NC)
85 Heat (-1)
84 Wizards (-2)
83 Hawks
83 Celtics (+1)
81 Knicks (+1)
77 Nets (-2)
77 Pistons (-2)
74 Bucks (-1)
71 Magic (-2)
70 Pacers (-14)
65 Sixers (-6)

WESTERN CONFERENCE
91 Clippers (NC)
90 Spurs (-3)
87 Trail Blazers (NC)
84 Rockets (-2)
84 Warriors (-1)
84 Pelicans (+1)
83 Grizzlies (NC)
82 Mavericks (NC)
82 Suns (NC)
81 Lakers (NC)
81 Nuggets (+1)
80 Kings (+1)
79 Timberwolves (-1)
76 Thunder (-12)
72 Jazz (NC)

The Pacers and Thunder have been decimated by injuries, while the Sixers are missing their only starting caliber player.  I wouldn't read too much into the rest of the fluctuation as there have been no rating changes, only injury and rotation adjustments.


Overall this is an excellent showing by 2K Sports.  Hopefully they can keep it up as the season progresses!

NBA 2K15 - New players added + Free Agent classifications

2K Sports has fixed the missing player issue they've had over the years, adding players regardless of contract status and without delay.  Long gone are the days of 2K13 which had numerous missing players throughout the year.

Since the game launched 9 days ago we've had at least 19 players added to the roster.

K.J. McDaniels (69/SF) - PHI

Casper Ware (66/PG) - PHI

Damien Inglis (69/SF) - MIL (Guaranteed)

Shane Edwards (63/SF) - CLE

Dwight Powell (66/PF) - BOS

Jorge Gutierrez (65/PG) - BRK

Erick Green (69/PG) - DEN
Damjan Rudez (71/SF) - IND (Guaranteed)
Patric Young (67/PF) - NOP

Spencer Dinwiddie (69/PG) - DET (Guaranteed)

Lucas Nogueira (69/PF) - TOR (Guaranteed)

Kostas Papanikolaou (71/SF) - HOU (Guaranteed)

Joey Dorsey (70/PF) - HOU (Guaranteed)

Clint Capela (67/PF) - HOU (Guaranteed)

Zoran Dragic (72/SG) - PHX (Guaranteed)

Grant Jerrett (67/PF) - OKC (Guaranteed)

Glenn Robinson III (67/SF) - MIN

Jason Kapono (65/SF) - GSW

D.J. Mbenga (63/C) - FA

I am relatively certain there are more players (for example, I think Dahntay Jones was removed but then re-added upon his training camp invite in Utah) but it's difficult to say when 2K did not release the Free Agent pool among their pre-release ratings..

One added bonus is this influx has allowed 2K to clean out it's Free Agent pool.  As of this writing there are 99 players in the FA pool.

NON-GUARANTEES

Jordan Hamilton (70/SF), Diante Garrett (69/PG), Alonzo Gee (69/SF), Doron Lamb (69/SG), Chris Johnson (68/SF), Charlie Villanueva (68/PF), Rasual Butler (69/SF), Josh Powell (67/PF), Dionte Christmas, Peyton Siva (66/PG), Ronnie Price (66/PG), Justin Holiday (65/SG), Earl Barron (65/C), Lorenzo Brown (65/PG), Kim English (65/SG), Dexter Pittman (65/C), Seth Curry (65/PG), Brian Cook (65/PF), Kyrylo Fesenko (63/C), D.J. Mbenga (63/C)

Players invited to training camp.  Some will make the team roster, but most will head to the...

D-LEAGUE

Nobody fits this classification yet, as the league doesn't begin its roster process until just after the NBA season has started.  It will be filled with Non-Guarantees and...

TRUE FREE AGENTS

Robert Covington (70/SF), Jamaal Franklin (69/SG), Ronnie Brewer (69/SG), John Lucas (69/PG), Keith Bogans (68/SG), Dante Cunningham (68/PF), Jarvis Varnado (67/PF), Malcolm Thomas (66/PF), Reggie Williams (66/SF), Othyus Jeffers (65/SG), Hasheem Thabeet (65/C). Josh Akognon (65/PG), Erik Murphy (65/PF), Sherron Collins (65/PG), Rodney Carney (64/SF), Lazar Hayward (64/SF), Vander Blue (64/SG), Solomon Alabi (63/C), Royal Ivey (59/PG)

Players without domestic or international contracts. Most were waived by teams in the last 30 days, else they would be in camp.

INJURED FREE AGENTS

Emeka Okafor (73/C), Andrew Bynum (73/C), Rashard Lewis (73/PF), Carlos Delfino (70/SF), Greg Oden (68/C)

Players good enough to make an NBA team but presently not healthy enough to pass their physical.

VETERANS WAITING FOR MID-SEASON

Ray Allen (78/SG), Jermaine O'Neal (73/C), Kenyon Martin (70/PF)

Distinguishes vets choosing to sit out in order to join a contender at an advantageous moment.

NOT FREE AGENTS

Vitor Faverani (72/C), Francisco Garcia (69/SF), Robbie Hummel (68/SF), Tony Mitchell (68/SF)

Players in 2K15's FA pool because the team's guaranteed contracts exceed their 15 available roster spots.

TEMPORARY INTERNATIONAL

Andray Blatche (75/C), Jordan Crawford (74/SG), Michael Beasley (72/SF), Miroslav Raduljica (67/C), Mike Harris (65/SF), D.J. White (65/PF), Daniel Orton (63/C)

Basically the list of players who signed in China.  The Chinese season ends late-February which gives players time to re-join the NBA before the playoffs (most recently Shavlik Randolph).

PERMANENT INTERNATIONAL

MarShon Brooks (71/SG), James Anderson (71/SG), Josh Harrellson (68/C), Nando De Colo (68/PG), Julyan Stone (67/PG), Dwight Buycks (66/PG), Gustavo Ayon (66/C), Hilton Armstrong (66/C), Jan Vesely (66/PF), Fab Melo (65/C), Tornike Shengelia (64/SF), Jon Brockman (64/PF), Viacheslav Kravtsov (64/C), Darington Hobson (63/SF), Justin Harper (63/PF), Luke Harangody (62/PF), Sasha Pavlovic (62/SF), Andy Rautins (61/SG), Orien Greene (60/PG), James Nunnally (60/SF), Darnell Jackson (58/PF)

Players signed internationally who do not have NBA out-clauses for the 2014-15 season (with some even having multi-year deals).  It is very difficult for players to return to the NBA once they reach this classification, and some even lose the desire to, as they are getting comparable NBA money and much greater opportunity.

RETIRED

Chauncey Billups (72/PG), Lamar Odom (67/PF), Earl Watson (67/PG), Andris Biedrins (66/C), Jason Collins (66/C), Mike James (65/PG), Brian Cardinal (65/PF), Melvin Ely (65/C), Kwame Brown (65/C), Kelenna Azubuike (65/SG), Marquis Daniels (65/SF), Malik Allen (64/PF), Bobby Simmons (64/SF), Ronald Dupree (64/SF), Quinton Ross (64/SG), Matt Carroll (63/SG), Brian Skinner (63/C), DeSagana Diop (63/C), Vladimir Radmanovic (63/PF), Francisco Elson (62/C)

Players who either announced their retirement or have unofficially given up playing professional basketball.

I'm personally in favor of all "Retired" and "Permanent International" players being removed from the roster to further unclutter the Free Agent pool (99 FAs is still a lot).  These players stay in 2K's database and can be easily re-added to the roster if necessary at any time.  Given how quickly they are doing this now, I don't anticipate any issues.

NBA 2K15 Dunk Ratings - Shooting Guards

Continuing where we left off with Point Guards, here are the new Dunk ratings for Shooting Guards in NBA 2K15.

NBA 2K14's Dunk Scales (2K15 has not yet been gameplay tested as of this writing)
25: Can't Dunk
45: Under 6'2" can Dunk when open (it seems like 30 is the new cutoff for this)
55: Can Dunk
70: Can Dunk in Traffic
85: Can Dunk in Heavy Traffic

SHOOTING GUARDS
98 (NA) Zach LaVine (Rookie)  (Listed at PG by 2K)
92 (-4) Terrence Ross (3.9%) - 25 (Listed at SF by 2K)
90 (NC) DeMar DeRozan (2.8%) - 38
87 (+13) Ben McLemore (6.6%) - 34
85 (NC) Victor Oladipo (4.2%) - 28
85 (-2) J.R. Smith (1.9%) - 15
85 (-8) Jared Cunningham (0.0%) - 0* (career stats)
85 (NA) Markel Brown (Rookie)
84 (+4) Jason Richardson (0.9%) - 3* (2013 stats)
80 (-8) Gerald Henderson (5.3%) - 46
80 (+2) Kent Bazemore (2.9%) - 9
79 (-1) Jeremy Lamb (3.4%) - 21
78 (-3) Tony Allen (4.8%) - 20
78 (NC) Tim Hardaway Jr (4.5%) - 29
77 (-12) Shannon Brown (6.2%) - 32* (2013 stats)
77 (-2) Thabo Sefolosha (5.3%) - 16
77 (-3) Iman Shumpert (3.1%) - 12
76 (+3) James Harden (3.9%) - 45
76 (-2) Dion Waiters (3.5%) - 29
76 (-3) Lance Stephenson (2.3%) - 19
75 (NC) Jimmy Butler (4.3%) - 29
75 (+4) Tony Snell (2.1%) - 6 (Listed at SF by 2K)
75 (-3) Bradley Beal (1.9%) - 20
74 (+3) Kobe Bryant (3.3%) - 51* (2013 stats)
73 (+3) - Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (4.8%) - 17
73 (NA) Justin Holiday (4.2%) - 2
73 (NA) P.J. Hairston (Rookie)
72 (+4) Xavier Henry (5.8%) - 16
72 (-12) Ronnie Brewer (4.0%) - 5* (2013 stats)
71 (-6) Will Barton (10.9%) - 16
70 (-14) Dwyane Wade (5.3%) - 40
70 (-2) Jodie Meeks (2.8%) - 34
70 (-12) Wesley Matthews (1.9%) - 17
70 (-10) Eric Gordon (0.6%) - 5
69 (+1) Glen Rice Jr (10.8%) - 4
69 (NC) Alec Burks (3.7%) - 28
69 (-6) Courtney Lee (1.1%) - 6
68 (-3) Elliot Williams (8.3%) - 26
68 (NC) James Anderson (5.7%) - 37
68 (-12) C.J. Miles (4.2%) - 16
68 (NA) Kim English (0.9%) - 1* (career stats)
66 (-8) Jamaal Franklin (2.6%) - 1
66 (+6) Ray Allen (1.1%) - 6
65 (-10) Carrick Felix (14.3%) - 2
65 (NC) James Young (Rookie) (Listed at SF by 2K)
64 (NA) Quinton Ross (0.4%) - 1* (2009 stats)
63 (+8) Danny Green (0.8%) - 4
62 (-3) Archie Goodwin (9.6%) - 15
62 (+4) Kevin Martin (3.2%) - 32
62 (NC) MarShon Brooks (3.2%) - 33* (career stats)
62 (-7) Monta Ellis (1.5%) - 18
62 (-6) Jordan Crawford (1.5%) - 10
62 (NC) Klay Thompson (1.0%) - 11
60 (-9) Rasual Butler (4.5%) - 5 (Listed at SF by 2K)
59 (+1) Manu Ginobili (2.2%) - 10
55 (-17) Kelenna Azubuike (3.9%) - 31* (2009 stats)
55 (NC) Evan Fournier (2.2%) - 12
55 (-16) E'Twaun Moore (1.1%) - 5
55 (-14) O.J. Mayo (0.4%) - 1
55 (-20) Rodney Stuckey (0.2%) - 2
55 (NA) Nick Johnson (Rookie)
53 (-10) Alan Anderson (1.9%) - 9 (Listed at SF by 2K)
52 (+6) - Willie Green (2.2%) - 6
50 (-11) Avery Bradley (2.7%) - 17
50 (-16) Wayne Ellington (2.4%) - 3e
50 (-14) Jamal Crawford (0.3%) - 3
50 (NA) Vander Blue (0.0%) - 0
50 (NA) Gary Harris (Rookie)
49 (-23) Marcus Thornton (0.0%) - 0
48 (-9) Marco Belinelli (0.6%) - 3
45 (-1) Alexey Shved (3.0%) - 7
45 (NA) Ian Clark (1.5%) - 1
45 (-22) Ricky Ledo (0.0%) - 0
45 (-15) Allen Crabbe (0.0%) - 0
45 (-16) Keith Bogans (0.0%) - 0 (hasn't dunked in 6 years)
45 (NA) C.J. Wilcox (Rookie)
43 (-19) Gary Neal (0.0%) - 0 (one dunk in his career)
42 (NA) Othyus Jeffers (14.0%) - 13* (career stats)
41 (NA) Zoran Dragic (Rookie)
40 (-11) C.J. McCollum (1.1%) - 2
40 (-5) - Randy Foye (0.5%) - 4
40 (-21) John Jenkins (0.3%) - 1* (career stats)
40 (-15) Arron Afflalo (0.2%) - 2
40 (-20) Mike Miller (0.2%) - 1
40 (-17) Jason Terry (0.0%) - 0
40 (NA) Jordan Adams (Rookie)
39 (-32) Dionte Christmas (0.0%) - 0
35 (NA) Troy Daniels (0.0%) - 0
35 (NA) Nik Stauskas (Rookie)
30 (-34) Garrett Temple (0.7%) - 4* (career stats)
30 (-27) Joe Johnson (0.1%) - 0
30 (-30) Anthony Morrow (0.0%) - 0 (three dunks in 6 years)
30 (-40) Doron Lamb (0.0%) - 0
30 (NA) Joe Harris (Rookie)
25 (NC) Kyle Korver (0.0%) - 0
25 (NC) J.J. Redick (0.0%) - 0
25 (NC) Ben Gordon (0.0%) - 0
25 (NC) Leandro Barbosa (0.0%) - 0 (Listed at PG by 2K)
25 (NC) Matt Carroll (0.2%) - 4* (Career stats... he retired last year)
25 (NC) Andy Rautins (0.0%) - 0* (Career stats)

BY THE NUMBERS
26 SG saw their dunk rating decrease by double digits.
1 SG saw a double digit increase.
61 SG have a dunk rating 55 or greater.
51 SG have a dunk rating 70 or greater.
8 SG have a dunk rating 85 or greater.

As we saw with PGs, many SGs have lost the ability to dunk at a high level.  While there are many SG who saw their dunk rating tank, there are still a high number who can yam it with regularity.

Unfortunately, it seems like the SGs up top are less consistent than the PG list.

2K Sports seems to have a vendetta against Dwyane Wade who has been playing at less than 100% of late.  Yet anyone who actually missed time is being given a full pass as we saw with Derrick Rose and now see with Kobe Bryant.  Like Rose, Kobe missed most of a season yet somehow saw his dunk rating go up.  The cherry on top of this **** sundae is that Jason Richardson likewise saw his dunk rating go up after missing a season, despite his dunk ability declining BEFORE his injury.






Wade's dunk rating is a mere 4 points higher than former teammate Ray Allen, 39 years old.  This is why these numbers are important, as perception (Wade's athleticism is declining) needs to meet reality (he's still more athletic than most SGs).

 I have played a few games with and against J.R. Smith and (as per usual) it is way too easy to dunk with him compared to how he performs in real life (though part of the problem is that he has a Silver "Posterizer" badge).  Smith did not look particularly athletic coming off knee surgery yet continues to be one of 2K's all-time cheese kings.

Overall I like the direction these ratings are taking.  Aside from some oversights here and there, these are much better and it's reflecting in the gameplay.

NBA 2K15 Dunk Ratings - Point Guards

Last week I speculated that PG dunking would be an issue in NBA 2K15 due to video released of Zach LaVine tearing it up on the 2K hardwood.  It appears I was only half-right.  LaVine is a problem but with few exceptions, the rest of the league's PGs will be fine.

I love that stats seemed to play a big part in sorting out where these guys should be rated, and as far as the PGs go we can use this as a barometer for future ratings.

NBA 2K14's Dunk Scales (2K15 has not yet been gameplay tested as of this writing)
25: Can't Dunk
45: Under 6'2" can Dunk when open (it seems like 30 is the new cutoff for this)
55: Can Dunk
70: Can Dunk in Traffic
85: Can Dunk in Heavy Traffic

Dunk Rating - Player (% of FGAs) - Total dunks in 2014 (unless otherwise noted)
NC = No Change
NA = Not Available (new addition to roster)

POINT GUARDS - Dunk Rating
98 (NA) Zach LaVine (Rookie)
89 (+6) John Wall (3.2%) - 43
86 (+2) Derrick Rose (1.7%) - 12* (2012 stats)
82 (-2) Russell Westbrook (4.4%) - 30
78 (+18) Damian Lillard (2.1%) - 22
73 (-4) Austin Rivers (1.5%) - 7
73 (-13) Eric Bledsoe (0.9%) - 5
73 (-11) Nate Robinson (0.8%) - 3
69 (+17) Shaun Livingston (11.3%) - 50
69 (+1) Reggie Jackson (3.2%) - 27
65 (-12) Tony Wroten (3.8%) - 29 (Listed at SG in 2K15)
65 (+10) Jeff Teague (0.9%) - 8
60 (+2) Michael Carter-Williams (2.9%) - 29
53 (-25) Ronnie Price (5.4%) - 4
53 (NC) Norris Cole (0.6%) - 3
51 (NC) Mario Chalmers (0.7%) - 4
50 (+8) Ray McCallum (3.3%) - 8
50 (-5) Ramon Sessions (1.7%) - 13
50 (-18) Julyan Stone (0.4%) - 2* (career stats)
50 (NA) Marcus Smart (Rookie)
48 (-30) Marquis Teague (0.4%) - 0* (career stats)
45 (-1) George Hill (1.1%) - 7
45 (+5) Darren Collison (1.0%) - 7
45 (-24) Jerryd Bayless (1.0%) - 3
45 (+4) Goran Dragic (0.9%) - 9
45 (-23) Toure Murry (0.8%) - 1 (Listed at SG in 2K15)
45 (-16) Deron Williams (0.6%) - 4
45 (-21) Louis Williams (0.6%) - 3
45 (NA) Jordan Clarkson (Rookie)
45 (NA) Spencer Dinwiddie (Rookie)
43 (NA) Orien Greene (4.9%) - 15* (career stats)
40 (NC) Jrue Holiday (1.4%) - 16* (2013 stats)
40 (-15) Brandon Knight (0.8%) - 7
40 (-9) Brandon Jennings (0.4%) - 4
40 (-15) Isaiah Canaan (0.0%) - 0
40 (NA) Lorenzo Brown (0.0%) - 0
40 (NA) Sherron Collins (0.0%) - 0* (career stats)
38 (-26) Jordan Farmar (0.5%) - 2
36 (-32) Donald Sloan (1.0%) - 3* (career stats)
36 (-9) Jeremy Lin (0.6%) - 4
36 (-5) Stephen Curry (0.4%) - 4
36 (NC) Seth Curry (0.0%) - 0
35 (+5) Phil Pressey (0.8%) - 2
35 (NA) Russ Smith (Rookie) (Listed at SG in 2K15)
35 (-13) Mo Williams (0.0%) - 0 (one dunk in NBA career)
35 (NA) Jorge Gutierrez (0.0%) - 0
35 (-33) Nemanja Nedovic (0.0%) - 0
31 (-17) Jarrett Jack (0.3%) - 2
30 (-25) Rajon Rondo (0.6%) - 3* (2013 stats)
30 (-38) Ty Lawson (0.4%) - 2
30 (-19) Ish Smith (0.4%) - 1
30 (+5) Mike Conley (0.2%) - 2
30 (-30) Kyrie Irving (0.2%) - 2
30 (-15) Patrick Beverley (0.2%) - 1
30 (-20) Kemba Walker (0.1%) - 0
30 (-10) Trey Burke (0.1%) - 1
30 (-46) Will Bynum (0.0%) - 0
30 (-39) Devin Harris (0.0%) - 0 (one dunk in 4 years)
30 (-25) Shelvin Mack (0.0%) - 0 (one dunk in 3 years)
30 (-20) Cory Joseph (0.0%) - 0 (one dunk in 3 years)
30 (-10) Diante Garrett (0.0% - 0
30 (-10) Dwight Buycks (0.0%) - 0
30 (NA) Shabazz Napier (Rookie)
30 (NA) Dante Exum (Rookie)
30 (NA) Elfrid Payton (Rookie)
28 (-20) Nando De Colo (0.5%) - 2* (career stats)
28 (-17) Greivis Vasquez (0.0%) - 0
28 (-12) C.J. Watson (0.0%) - 0
28 (-13) Brian Roberts (0.0%) - 0
27 (+2) Chris Paul (0.1%) - 1
27 (-28) Isaiah Thomas (0.0%) - 0 (has never dunked in NBA career)
27 (-13) Kendall Marshall (0.0%) - 0
27 (-18) Nick Calathes (0.0%) - 0
26 (-35) Nate Wolters (0.0%) - 0
25 (-15) Matthew Dellavedova (0.0%) - 0
25 (NA) Tyler Ennis (Rookie)
25 (NC) - Everyone else (0.0%) - 0

BY THE NUMBERS
38 PG saw their dunk rating decrease by double digits.
3 PG saw a double digit increase.
13 PG have a dunk rating 55 or greater.
8 PG have a dunk rating 70 or greater.
3 PG have a dunk rating 85 or greater.

Going by the old scales, very few PGs will be able to dunk in traffic now, though the star PGs and athletic freaks (LaVine, Wall, Rose, Westbrook) will probably still be able to do this way too frequently for my liking.

The biggest issue might not be Zach LaVine's dunk rating but rather the fact that he is listed as a Point Guard.  LaVine exclusively played Shooting Guard at UCLA.

Via DraftExpress:
-As one might expect considering his relatively meager production as a freshman at UCLA,Zach Lavine's situational profile doesn't paint a pretty picture. Using 9.7 possessions per-game, he ranks as the lowest usage player in this group, and as the least efficient scorer in both one-on-one and pick and roll situations. On the positive side, LaVine's athleticism shows here, as 32.1% of his possessions came in transition, more than any other player, and while he scored an above average 1.148 points per-catch and shoot jump shot, the team drafting him probably won't be overly concerned with how he looked on paper this past season as focused as they'll be on putting him in position to reach his lofty potential a few years from now.

Additionally, from DX's Scouting Report
To his credit, LaVine does a good job of not turning the ball over too often, coughing the ball up on 12% of his possessions (11th best of the 22 SGs in our Top-100), which helped him post an acceptable PPR (.21) and assist to turnover ratio (1.57). When LaVine puts the ball on the floor, it's mostly to shoot a pull-up jumper, which helps him keep the turnovers to a minimum. Somewhere along the line a narrative developed about LaVine possibly projecting as a point guard down the road, but after watching him in high school and at UCLA, it's difficult to see where that came from.

I also highly recommend DX's 14 minute scouting report as further evidence against LaVine.  He's been playing SG next to Mo Williams this pre-season.  Dock his ability to do this off the dribble and his 98 dunk rating would be totally fine (or at least no worse than the abuse we've seen over the years from Gerald Green).

One possible reason for LaVine's dunk rating not jiving with the rest of the players is 2K's rookie ratings have typically been done by a different producer than the one who rates the rest of the players (Remember the STATS Inc mumbo jumbo that 2K was pushing last year?  They automate a bulk of their ratings using a stats program, of which NCAA players do not have applicable data).  This was noticeable in previous iterations of the game.  For example last year 400+ NBA players were held to a 50-99 steal scale (the lowest being Meyers Leonard at 50 Steal), but numerous rookies (eleven!) rated below 50.  One can take this a step further and observe the ratings for legend players; these likewise had to be "handcrafted" and thus weren't scaled with modern players.

Further cementing my theory is that Dante Exum has 30 Dunk rating.



Watching the video it seems like an obvious blunder to rate the 6'6" Exum equally to his teammate, 6'0" Trey Burke.  With the rest of the NBA rating so well and LaVine/Exum rating so poorly on opposite ends of the spectrum (they are 68 points apart!), I don't believe the same person could be responsible.  With that said, while the ratings producer may not have come up with these default ratings, it will be his responsibility to clean up that mess.

• MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
  Derrick Rose missed two seasons and saw his dunk rating increase, while Russell Westbrook (who has ALWAYS been the far superior dunker) saw his decrease?  At best, Rose should be in the mid-70s Damian Lillard/Eric Bledsoe range.
• Shaun Livingston's dunk rate is absurdly high because he spent most of the year as a wing, starting and playing next to Deron Williams.  I wouldn't really count him as a  PG which is the main reason why his rating deviates from scale.  It's much easier to get dunks playing off-ball rather than on.
• Heat PGs Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole were seemingly passed over during the editing process,  as their dunk ratings should both be in the 40-45 range when looking at scale.  They appear to be the only players missed and they play for the same team, so it sure seems like an oversight.
• Nate Robinson is still too high for my liking.  While the 3-time dunk champ might be great in contests on an uncontested rim, he's never been a prolific in-game dunker.  At 30 years old coming off a torn ACL, his best days are definitely behind him.

NBA 2K15 Team Ratings

Team rating in NBA 2k15 no longer factors in coach ratings and is an average of Offense/Defense ratings.

(Offense / Defense in parenthesize)

EASTERN CONFERENCE
91 Cavaliers (92/90)
90 Bulls (88/93)
86 Heat (84/87)
86 Raptors (87/84)
85 Hornets (85/86)
84 Pacers (77/90)
83 Hawks (83/83)
82 Celtics (79/85)
80 Knicks (82/77)
79 Nets (79/79)
79 Pistons (78/79)
75 Bucks (75/75)
73 Magic (70/76)
71 Sixers (66/76)

WESTERN CONFERENCE
93 Spurs (92/94)
91 Clippers (92/90)
88 Thunder (88/88)
87 Trail Blazers (92/81)
86 Rockets (90/81)
85 Warriors (84/87)
83 Grizzlies (77/89)
83 Pelicans (81/85)
82 Mavericks (90/75)
82 Suns (86/78)
81 Lakers (85/78)
80 Nuggets (81/78)
80 Timberwolves (80/79)
79 Kings (80/77)
72 Jazz (73/71)

The Celtics seem a bit high but this is otherwise a much better list than we've seen in previous iterations.

NBA 2K14 Dunk ratings and stats

Looking at a player's volume of dunks is a solid indicator of how good a dunker they are.
Strategically, a player is going to dunk whenever possible because it maximizes the chances for two two points.   Going up strong in traffic prevents blocks and draws fouls.
A player with a high volume of dunks is likely dunking in traffic more frequently than others.

A lot of clarity can be given when separating these by position.  We can really see who the over and underrated players are.  Players who play closer to the basket will generate more dunk opportunities, so comparing the numbers of centers to the numbers of guards is not very effective.

The data is a bit overwhelming to look at as a whole, but you can notice patterns here and there.  Ultimately this data will be very effective at establishing "dunk tiers".

@Real2KInsider Last Gen 25: Can't Dunk 45: Under 6'2 Can Dunk when Open 55: Can Dunk 70: Can Dunk in Traffic 85: Can DUnk in heavy traffic
— KidKash202 (@KidKash202) October 5, 2014

More analysis will be coming later but I wanted to get this information out, especially with NBA 2K15 releasing tomorrow.
Taking a break as I spent most of the afternoon and night putting this list together.
Will also be following up with a 2K15 Dunk rating list to see how much has changed over the past few months.

------------------------

Dunk Rating - Player (% of FGAs) - Total dunks in 2014 (unless otherwise noted)

POINT GUARDS
86/PG - Eric Bledsoe (0.9%) - 5
84/PG - Russell Westbrook (4.4%) - 30
84/PG - Derrick Rose (1.7%) - 12* (2012 stats)
84/PG - Nate Robinson (0.8%) - 3
83/PG - John Wall (3.2%) - 43
78/PG - Ronnie Price (5.4%) - 4
78/PG - Marquis Teague (0.4%) - 0* (career stats)
78/PG - Chris Smith (0.0%) - 0 (...............ok..............)
77/PG - Tony Wroten (3.8%) - 29
77/PG - Austin Rivers (1.5%) - 7
76/PG - Will Bynum (0.0%) - 0
69/PG - Jerryd Bayless (1.0%) - 3
69/PG - Devin Harris (0.0%) - 0 (one dunk in 4 years)
68/PG - Reggie Jackson (3.2%) - 27
68/PG - Donald Sloan (1.0%) - 3* (career stats)
68/PG - Toure Murry (0.8%) - 1
68/PG - Ty Lawson (0.4%) - 2
68/PG - Nemanja Nedovic (0.0%) - 0
66/SG - Louis Williams (0.6%) - 3
64/PG - Jordan Farmar (0.5%) - 2
61/PG - Deron Williams (0.6%) - 4
61/PG - Nate Wolters (0.0%) - 0
60/PG - Damian Lillard (2.1%) - 22
60/PG - Kyrie Irving (0.2%) - 2
58/PG - Michael Carter-Williams (2.9%) - 29
55/PG - Ramon Sessions (1.7%) - 13
55/PG - Brandon Knight (0.8%) - 7
55/PG - Jeff Teague (0.9%) - 8
55/PG - Rajon Rondo (0.6%) - 3* (2013 stats)
55/PG - Isaiah Thomas (0.0%) - 0 (has never dunked in NBA career)
55/PG - Shelvin Mack (0.0%) - 0 (one dunk in 3 years)
55/PG - Isaiah Canaan (0.0%) - 0
53/PG - Norris Cole (0.6%) - 3
51/PG - Mario Chalmers (0.7%) - 4
50/PG - Cory Joseph (0.0%) - 0 (one dunk in 3 years)
50/PG - Kemba Walker (0.1%) - 0
49/PG - Brandon Jennings (0.4%) - 4
49/PG - Ish Smith (0.4%) - 1
48/PG - Jarrett Jack (0.3%) - 2
48/PG - Mo Williams (0.0%) - 0 (one dunk in NBA career)
46/PG - George Hill (1.1%) - 7
45/PG - Jeremy Lin (0.6%) - 4
45/PG - Patrick Beverley (0.2%) - 1
45/PG - Greivis Vasquez (0.0%) - 0
45/PG - Nick Calathes (0.0%) - 0
42/PG - Ray McCallum (3.3%) - 8
41/PG - Goran Dragic (0.9%) - 9
41/PG - Stephen Curry (0.4%) - 4
41/PG - Brian Roberts (0.0%) - 0
40/PG - Jrue Holiday (1.4%) - 16* (2013 stats)
40/PG - Darren Collison (1.0%) - 7
40/PG - Trey Burke (0.1%) - 1
40/PG - C.J. Watson (0.0%) - 0
40/PG - Kendall Marshall (0.0%) - 0
40/PG - Matthew Dellavedova (0.0%) - 0
30/PG - Phil Pressey (0.8%) - 2
25/PG - Mike Conley (0.2%) - 2
25/PG - Chris Paul (0.1%) - 1
25/PG - Everyone else (0.0%) - 0

Contrary to what NBA 2K might have you believe, cross over dunks in traffic with point guards are far and few between.  With few exceptions, PGs seldom dunk, even on the break.  Only 5 PGs receiving regular minutes recorded a 2% dunk rate.

SHOOTING GUARDS
96/SG - Terrence Ross (3.9%) - 25
90/SG - DeMar DeRozan (2.8%) - 38
89/SG - Shannon Brown (6.2%) - 32* (2013 stats)
88/SG - Gerald Henderson (5.3%) - 46
87/SG - J.R. Smith (1.9%) - 15
85/SG - Victor Oladipo (4.2%) - 28
84/SG - Dwyane Wade (5.3%) - 40
82/SG - Wesley Matthews (1.9%) - 17
81/SG - Tony Allen (4.8%) - 20
80/SG - C.J. Miles (4.2%) - 16
80/SG - Jeremy Lamb (3.4%) - 21
80/SG - Iman Shumpert (3.1%) - 12
80/SG - Jason Richardson (0.9%) - 3* (2013 stats)
80/SG - Eric Gordon (0.6%) - 5
79/SG - Thabo Sefolosha (5.3%) - 16
79/SG - Lance Stephenson (2.3%) - 19
78/SG - Tim Hardaway Jr (4.5%) - 29
78/SG - Dion Waiters (3.5%) - 29
78/SG - Kent Bazemore (2.9%) - 9
78/SG - Bradley Beal (1.9%) - 20
77/SG - Will Barton (10.9%) - 16
75/SG - Jimmy Butler (4.3%) - 29
75/SG - Courtney Lee (1.1%) - 6
75/SG - Rodney Stuckey (0.2%) - 2
74/SG - Ben McLemore (6.6%) - 34
73/SG - James Harden (3.9%) - 45
72/SG - Jodie Meeks (2.8%) - 34
72/SG - Marcus Thornton (0.0%) - 0
71/SG - Elliot Williams (8.3%) - 26
71/SG - Kobe Bryant (3.3%) - 51* (2013 stats)
71/SF - Tony Snell (2.1%) - 6
71/PG - E'Twaun Moore (1.1%) - 5
70/SG - Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (4.8%) - 17
69/SG - Alec Burks (3.7%) - 28
69/SG - Monta Ellis (1.5%) - 18
69/SG - O.J. Mayo (0.4%) - 1
68/SG - Glen Rice Jr (10.8%) - 4
68/SG - Xavier Henry (5.8%) - 16
68/SG - James Anderson (5.7%) - 37
68/SG - Jordan Crawford (1.5%) - 10
66/SG - Wayne Ellington (2.4%) - 3
65/SG - Archie Goodwin (9.6%) - 15
64/SG - Garrett Temple (0.7%) - 4* (career stats)
64/SG - Jamal Crawford (0.3%) - 3
62/SG - Klay Thompson (1.0%) - 11
62/SG - Gary Neal (0.0%) - 0 (one dunk in his career)
61/SG - Avery Bradley (2.7%) - 17
60/SG - Ray Allen (1.1%) - 6
60/SG - Anthony Morrow (0.0%) - 0 (three dunks in 6 years)
60/SG - Mike Miller (0.2%) - 1
58/SG - Kevin Martin (3.2%) - 32
58/SG - Manu Ginobili (2.2%) - 10
57/SG - Marco Belinelli (0.6%) - 3
57/SG - Joe Johnson (0.1%) - 0
57/SG - Jason Terry (0.0%) - 0
55/SG - Danny Green (0.8%) - 4
55/SG - Evan Fournier (2.2%) - 12
55/SG - Arron Afflalo (0.2%) - 2
52/PG - Shaun Livingston (11.3%) - 50
51/SG - C.J. McCollum (1.1%) - 2
46/SG - Alexey Shved (3.0%) - 7
46/SG - Willie Green (2.2%) - 6
45/SG - Randy Foye (0.5%) - 4
25/SG - J.J. Redick (0.0%) - 0
25/SG - Ben Gordon (0.0%) - 0

SMALL FORWARDS
95/SF - Josh Smith (6.2%) - 74
93/SF - Gerald Green (6.3%) - 57
92/SF - Andre Iguodala (13.1%) - 58
90/SF- LeBron James (10.1%) - 134
90/SF - Rudy Gay (7.4%) - 74
89/SF - Paul George (5.5%) - 69
88/SF - Trevor Ariza (5.0%) - 42
84/SF - Kawhi Leonard (9.8%) - 59
84/SF Kevin Durant (8.8%) - 146
84/SF - Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (8.5%) - 30
84/SF - Nicholas Batum (6.1%) - 43
84/SF - Travis Outlaw (3.4%) - 10
83/SF - Derrick Williams (12.4%) - 53
82/SF - Maurice Harkless (12.8%) - 60
82/SF - Chris Johnson (1.3%) - 3* (career stats)
81/SF - Corey Brewer (11.6%) - 86
80/SF - Alonzo Gee (15.7%) - 35
80/SF - Al-Farouq Aminu (8.7%) - 42
80/SF - Chase Budinger (2.8%) - 7
79/SF - Giannis Antetekounmpo (16.0%) - 61
79/SF - Chandler Parson (6.1%) - 53
78/SG - Andre Roberson (17.6%) - 11
78/SF - Wesley Johnson (10.0%) - 53
78/SF - Gerald Wallace (6.1%) - 12
78/SF - Victor Claver (5.6%) - 12* (career stats)
78/SF - Jeff Green (4.6%) - 44
76/SF - Wilson Chandler (4.6%) - 30
75/SF - Jeff Taylor (11.0%) - 22
75/SF - Shawn Marion (9.2%) - 62
75/SF - Michael Beasley (6.2%) - 19
75/SF - Nick Young (2.5%) - 21
75/SG - Vince Carter (2.1%) - 15
74/SF - Harrison Barnes (5.6%) - 37
74/SF - Richard Jefferson (6.7%) - 39
74/SF - DeMarre Carroll (3.7%) - 23
74/SF - Carmelo Anthony (2.2%) - 34
74/SF - Caron Butler (0.4%) - 2
73/SF - Tayshaun Prince (4.9%) - 23
73/SF - Gordon Hayward (3.8%) - 38
73/SF - Otto Porter (1.1%) - 1
72/SF - Andrei Kirilenko (18.1%) - 29
72/SF - Danilo Gallinari (5.1%) - 41* (2013 stats)
71/SF - Shabazz Muhammad (7.3%) - 7
71/SF - Hollis Thompson (4.3%) - 13
71/SF - Darius Miller (1.2%) - 2
70/SF Quincy Miller (5.9%) - 13
70/SF - Martell Webster (5.5%) - 30
70/SF - Luol Deng (1.7%) - 15
70/SF - Landry Fields (13.4%) - 7
69/SF - Luc Mbah a Moute (7.3%) - 11
69/SF - Dorell Wright (2.4%) - 7
67/SF - John Salmons (0.5%) - 1
67/SF - James Johnson (14.6%) - 42
67/SF - Evan Turner (2.3%) - 23
67/SF - Quincy Pondexter (7.0%) - 18* (2013 stats)
66/SF - Tobias Harris (4.2%) - 28
66/SF - Jordan Hamilton (2.1%) - 7
65/SF - Tyreke Evans (0.4%) - 4
64/SF - Chris Douglas-Roberts (1.6%) - 3
63/SF - P.J. Tucker (2.0%) - 9
63/SF - Alan Anderson (1.9%) - 9
60/SF - Jae Crowder (4.1%) - 12
60/SF - Kyle Singler (2.3%) - 13
60/SF - Cartier Martin (1.3%) - 3
60/SF - Khris Middleton (1.1%) - 9
60/SF - Mike Dunleavy (0.8%) - 6
58/SF - Matt Barnes (4.2%) - 27
58/SF - Jared Dudley (0.0%) - 0
52/SF - Robbie Hummel (1.1%) - 2
51/SF - Francisco Garcia (0.3%) - 1
49/SF - Paul Pierce (3.1%) - 19
25/SF - Kyle Korver (0.0%) - 0

POWER FORWARDS
95/PF - Jeremy Evans (19.6%) - 59
92/PF - Blake Griffin (14.2%) - 176
88/PF - Kenneth Faried (16.2%) - 88
88/PF - Amare Stoudemire (14.7%) - 46
88/PF - Thaddeus Young (4.8%) - 57
87/PF - Anthony Randolph (11.2%) - 161
82/PF - Serge Ibaka (13.2%) - 116
80 (-1) Jan Vesely (22.0%) - 38
81/SF - Earl Clark (7.9%) - 78* (career stats)
80/SF - Perry Jones (12.7%) - 12
79/PF - Quincy Acy (19.1%) - 25
79/PF - Nene (8.8%) - 49
79/PF - Josh McRoberts (6.4%) - 31
78/PF - Terrence Jones (18.1%) - 122
78/PF - Thomas Robinson (11.6%) - 31
78/PF - Patrick Patterson (4.3%) - 19
77/PF - Anthony Davis (14.9%) - 146
76/PF - Tristan Thompson (15.0%) - 100
75/PF - Kenyon Martin (24.4%) - 27
75/PF - David Lee (7.5%) - 70
74/PF - Derrick Favors (11.4%) - 77
73/PF - John Henson (10.8%) - 65
73/PF - Carl Landry (9.6%) - 54* (2013 stats)
73/PF - Trevor Booker (5.7%) - 23
73/SF - Marvin Williams (2.9%) - 13
72/PF - LaMarcus Aldridge (2.7%) - 36
72/PF - Mirza Teletovic (2.1%) - 8
71/PF - Tyler Hansbrough (9.7%) - 18
71/PF - Andrea Bargnani (2.6%) - 13
70/PF - Brandon Bass (11.0%) - 75
70/PF - Anthony Bennett (9.8%) - 18
70/PF - Jonas Jerebko (4.3%) - 8
70/PF - Greg Monroe (3.8%) - 35
70/PF - Rashard Lewis (1.7%) - 4
69/PF - Darrell Arthur (2.7%) - 9
68/PF - Cody Zeller (11.4%) - 41
68/PF - Taj Gibson (10.9%) - 89
68/PF - Jason Thompson (10.7%) - 51
68/PF - Reggie Evans (8.7%) - 12
68/PF - Al Harrington (3.9%) - 8
67/PF - Amir Johnson (10.3%) - 57
66/SF - Marcus Morris (2.0%) - 12
66/SF - Shawne Williams (1.0%) - 1
65/PF - Donatas Motiejunas (3.4%) - 7
63/PF - Jeff Adrien (10.9%) - 27
63/PF - Kevin Garnett (4.5%) - 13
62/PF - Ed Davis (16.9%) - 42
62/PF - Markieff Morris (7.6%) - 62
62/PF - Mike Scott (4.1%) - 22
62/PF - Carlos Boozer (1.6%) - 16
61/PF - Udonis Haslem (6.8%) - 8
61/SF - Draymond Green (5.4%) - 24
60/PF - Paul Millsap (4.0%) - 34
60/PF - David West (2.1%) - 18
60/PF - Dirk Nowitzki (0.8%) - 10
58/PF - Kris Humphries (8.7%) - 38
58/PF - Ersan Ilyasova (1.8%) - 7
58/PF - Luis Scola (0.5%) - 3
57/PF - Boris Diaw (0.9%) - 4
56/PF - Channing Frye (2.4%) - 17
56/PF - Ryan Kelly (4.9%) - 17
55/PF - Andrew Nicholson (1.9%) - 8
54/PF - Shane Battier (0.4%) - 1
53/PF - Dante Cunningham (5.7%) - 26
52/PF - Anthony Tolliver (1.6%) - 5
52/PF - Ryan Anderson (1.1%) - 12* (2013 stats)
48/PF - Kevin Love (2.3%) - 31
47/PF - Zach Randolph (0.7%) - 7
46/PF - Nick Collison (10.0%) - 20
45/PF - Tim Duncan (4.6%) - 38
42/PF - Glen Davis (1.3%) - 7
42/PF - Matt Bonner (0.0%) - 0
42/SF - Steve Novak (0.0%) - 0

CENTERS
92/C - Dwight Howard (25.8%) - 195
90/C - DeAndre Jordan (53.3%) - 245
89/C - JaVale McGee (37.0%) - 175* (2013 stats)
86/C - Andre Drummond (25.6%) - 183
81/C - Chris Andersen (29.1%) - 78
81/C - Larry Sanders (20.5%) - 114* (2013 stats)
80/C - Jeff Ayres (22.4%) - 36
79/C - Ian Mahinmi (15.9%) - 29
79/C - Nerlens Noel (N/A) - DNP
78/C - Jordan Hill (9.4%) - 45
77/C - Timofey Mozgov (20.6%) - 95
77/C - J.J. Hickson (15.9%) - 98
77/PF - Jeremy Tyler (15.5%) - 16
76/PF - Jarvis Varnado (17.9%) - 11 (career stats)
74/C - Miles Plumlee (22.1%) - 103
72/C - Brandon Wright (29.3%) - 94
72/C - Jeff Withey (20.2%) - 20
72/C - Gorgui Dieng (12.8%) - 27
72/C - Kevin Seraphin (5.5%) - 12
71/C - Tyson Chandler (35.1%) - 106
71/C - Ekpe Udoh (5.6%) - 8
70/C - Joakim Noah (7.0%) - 52
70/C - Al Horford (9.8%) - 101* (2013 stats)
70/C - Mason Plumlee (40.4%) - 116
70/C - Ronny Turiaf (27.1%) - 26
70/C - Joel Freeland (4.3%) - 5
69/C - Ryan Hollins (41.7%) - 29
69/C - Steven Adams (16.2%) - 26
69/C - Chris Bosh (7.3%) - 65
68/C - Andrew Bogut (25.9%) - 91
68/C - Bismack Biyombo (25.7%) - 37
68/C - Omer Asik (21.1%) - 36
68/C - Robert Sacre (13.7%) - 36
68/C - Jonas Valanciunas (12.7%) - 80
68/PF - Aron Baynes (9.8%) - 15
68/C - Brendan Haywood (6.5%) - 14* (2013 stats)
68/C - Nikola Pekovic (2.9%) - 16
67/C - Greg Oden (51.0%) - 20
66/C - Alex Len (14.1%) - 10
66/C - Kyle O'Quinn (10.8%) - 36
66/C - Anderson Varejao (3.7%) - 15
65/C - DeMarcus Cousins (7.3%) - 82
65/C - Henry Sims (3.6%) - 10
64/C - Andray Blatche (6.1%) - 38
64/C - Nikola Vucevic (4.3%) - 27
63/C - Robin Lopez (11.6%) - 75
63/C - Tiago Splitter (10.7%) - 32
62/C - Marc Gasol (3.2%) - 22
61/C - Jason Smith (6.5%) - 109* (career stats)
61/C - Enes Kanter (5.0%) - 39
61/PF - Marreese Speights (6.3%) - 26
61/C - Al Jefferson (2.1%) - 28
60/C - Rudy Gobert (21.6%) - 14
60/C - Brook Lopez (9.1%) - 97* (2013 stats)
60/C - Kosta Koufos (8.3%) - 34
60/C - Andrew Bynum (5.8%) - 12
60/C - Pero Antic (4.0%) - 12
60/C - DeJuan Blair (2.0%) - 8
58/C - Jermaine O'Neal (11.3%) - 28
58/C - Emeka Okafor (8.2%) - 54* (2013 stats)
58/PF - Pau Gasol (4.9%) - 41
58/C - Kelly Olynyk (2.0%) - 10
58/PF - Elton Brand (2.4%) - 8
57/C - Samuel Dalembert (23.6%) - 85
57/C - Marcin Gortat (5.8%) - 46
56/C - Cole Aldrich (23.7%) - 41* (Career stats)
56/PF - Lavoy Allen (2.0%) - 6
55/C - Meyers Leonard (16.5%) - 13
55/C - Greg Stiemsma (14.8%) - 14
55/C - Vitor Faverani (8.8%) - 10
55/C - Kendrick Perkins (5.2%) - 9
54/C - Chris Kaman (2.6%) - 9
54/C - Spencer Hawes (2.8%) - 19
52/C - Chuck Hayes (0.0%) - 0
51/C - Alexis Ajinca (21.3%) - 46
51/C - Nazr Mohammed (4.0%) - 4
51/C - Zaza Pachulia (0.9%) - 3
50/C - Tyler Zeller (10.7%) - 30
50/C - Jared Sullinger (2.4%) - 19
48/C - Roy Hibbert (3.7%) - 27
48/C - Aaron Gray (3.3%) - 2

NBA 2K15 Dunks ruin otherwise stellar gameplay

Every basketball coach will tell you that a layup is worth just as many points of a dunk.  While it's "style" that ultimately popularized dunking, what makes it effective is that it's a layup that CAN'T rim out or be easily blocked.  Wilt Chamberlain used this to great effect in the 1960s.  He was bigger and more athletic than everyone else, and ultimately more effective than everyone else because he didn't leave much to chance when he was in striking distance of the rim.

While dunking in the 60s was reserved almost exclusively for big men, we've seen dunkers evolve through the years.  In the 1970s, Julius "Dr. J" Erving was the first great "wing" dunker.  He handled the ball like a guard, yet finished like a big man.  The 1980s saw Michael Jordan follow in his foot steps, and the rest is history.  Fast forward to the present-day and we have athletic point guards like Russell Westbrook, Derrick Rose, and John Wall finishing like they are wings.

I bring you this mini-history of dunking as a backdrop to what 2K Sports is doing wrong in their video games.  There are a number of factors that lead to these players being great "dunkers", none of which related to their actual dunking ability.

Michael Jordan might have finished like a 7-footer due to his athletic ability, but what made him so deadly was his ability to create his own shot with the quickness of a 6-foot guard.  He was an excellent ball-handler and teams had to respect his jump shot, a combination that lead to many a poster.   He could spin off you in the post, he could strip you and go coast-to-coast.  He had a multitude of skills that CONTRIBUTED to him being a good dunker.

With all this said, I bring you NBA 2K15 (fast-forward to 1:00).



Behold as 19-year olds Zach LaVine and Andrew Wiggins give their best Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen imitations.  These players are 72 Overall and 77 Overall respectively yet that does not stop them from looking like bonafide superstars out there.

The Dunk rating is perhaps the most important rating in NBA 2K games despite factoring minimally towards the Overall rating.  The rating serves a number of purposes that can be game-breaking in the wrong hands.  Higher dunk ratings increase the dunking animations available, increase the distance from the basket these animations can be triggered, and how effective these animations are in the presence of a defensive player.

Watching the Zach LaVine show immediately reminds me of another "2K superstar" - a player who isn't very good on the hardwood but plays like an absolute beast on the virtual court.



Fast forward to 3:20.  Austin Rivers drives to the rim, gets hit, isn't even phased, and throws it down with authority.  His combination of speed and handles made him a MyTeam superstar.  Yet in one of the all-time greatest ironies, Rivers did not dunk once in his 1,418 minutes as a rookie.





As a sophomore last year Rivers dunked 7 times in 1,339 minutes (a major improvement).
In video #1 we see him make an off-ball cut to the basket that he finishes with ease.
In video #2 we see Rivers get an uncontested dunk in transition.

There is a huge difference between dunking on an uncontested basket (the vast majority of NBA dunks) and dunking on defenders, a problem that has plagued the NBA 2K series since it's inception.  It's one that STG shows is still present in NBA 2K15.  LaVine and Wiggins' ball handling and athleticism allow them to beat defenders to the spots where the dunk rating takes over.

Don't get me wrong, these dunks are BEAUTIFUL and jaw-dropping, but the ease in which these non-star players are able to CONSISTENTLY get to these spots and generate these "money" animations is where things go astray.   I don't have a problem with Zach LaVine giving us his best Gerald Green impression on the fast break, but when he's doing it off the Pick and Roll or spamming Isolation crossovers ad-nausea, that's when the 4th-wall is broken - where NBA simulation becomes unrealistic video game.

2K Sports knows that they are making a video game.  The majority of fans who pay money for the game are "casual" and not looking for a hardcore realistic experience.  I might represent the "Sim Nation" brand of sports gamers but that doesn't mean I'm not a member of "Fun Nation".   Dunking is one of the most exciting things a player can do in the game.  I am not against dunking.   Frequent dunks are not inherently bad when superstars like LeBron James are recording them.  Fans expect that to some degree.  However, I think I speak for the majority of gamers when I say they feel like they are being cheated when a player the caliber of Zach LaVine or Austin Rivers is is able to perform like a superstar and score with significantly greater efficiency than they otherwise would.

As a gamer, I can deal with losing a game when Kobe Bryant drops 30 points against me on 12-20 shooting.  However when non-stars are able to generate those kind of performances with minimal effort, it creates a level of negativity not just for the user getting scored on, but for the user doing the scoring.  I don't jump out of my seat when I dunk in traffic with LeBron James because I've already done the same thing with a guy like Alonzo Gee who is clinging to the league by a thread in real life.

This is a complex problem, but one with solutions.  While I take issue with many of the dunk ratings in the game, "nerfing" them league-wide does not present a long-term solution.  It's not the rating but rather the ease of players getting to their spots in conjunction with the dunk rating that breaks the game.  That means balancing the speed/effectiveness of dribble animations (in conjunction with the handle rating).  It means balancing defensive controls and tightening rotations to limit the "clear path" opportunities of players who aren't adept at creating separation.

Ultimately, what needs to happen is the complete isolation of the dunk rating from all these other factors.   If Dominique Wilkins was "The Human Highlight Film" then Gerald Green is "The Human Video Game Mixtape".



It's hard not to watch Green and get pumped.  His sheer athleticism is jaw-dropping.   While he does get a decent chunk of his dunks in the half-court, he's not operating as the primary scoring option of his team.  He's not creating lanes off the dribble, and he's not creating/absorbing contact on any of his drives (as a result, he's not even really "posterizing" anybody)... but when he's got a path to the basket or receiving a lob in transition it's quite the sight.

Green's dunk rating should be reflecting his "clear path" effectiveness and that's it.

Shameless plug time!



In NBA 2K13 I ran a MyTeam with zero Gold players and was able to consistently beat players using superstars.  This was because I recognized players with various attributes/skills whose values exceeded what the Overall rating would otherwise indicate the player's value.

While the title of the video would seem to indicate otherwise, I'm actually running an offense rather than abusing game exploits.  My knowledge of the plays I run, positioning on offense and defense, and utilizing my players strengths is what carries me to victory over a star-studded team.  Green finishes with 31 points on 12-17 FG (7-10 3PT), also generating 4 assists, and did not commit a single turnover.  While it might seem like it looking at the box score, I'm not actually running my offense through Green.

I typically ran pick and roll plays with Sebastian Telfair, by contrast a poor 3pt shooter and terrible finisher.  Telfair is an average athlete and ball handler but once he uses the pick the following situations would typically occur:
A. Telfair gets space, pulls up for easy shot (5-5 FG thanks to 88 rated mid-range shot).
B. Defense overplays, leaves a 3pt shooter wide-open (Dell Curry, J.J. Redick, Richard Jefferson, Terrence Ross) wide-open.
C. Defense overplays, finds passing lane to JaVale McGee rolling to hoop.
D. Defense overplays, kicks it to Gerald Green (stretch-4) who can either pull up or abuse PF or tweeners like Bird in Isolation thanks to his athleticism (at worst, he matches up athletically with LeBron James who frequently plays at PF in MyTeam matchups).

It wasn't overpowered dunks or three-point shots that churned out my wins, but rather my ability to get to my spots and generate those looks, rather than abusing animations.  If I am able to get to my spots with players who have severe limitations, just imagine what I would be capable of with top tier talent!

From a competitive balance standpoint, what makes 2K enjoyable is figuring out what players work well with others.  Whether it's MyTeam, MyGM, or just an Online Quick Match.  The Mavericks won a championship in 2011 because Tyson Chandler turned out to be the perfect compliment to Dirk Nowitzki.  The Heat had more talent but they struggled because their big three didn't compliment each other very well yet.  When every guard with at least 80 Speed and 70 Dunk has the means to take over a game, it really simplifies things, and not in a good way.

In a future post I'll have stats breaking down NBA 2K14 dunk ratings and what 2K can do to fix their scale and performance issues.  I will also follow that up with 2K15 dunk ratings once the game releases in order to see if there were major changes, how they impact the gameplay, and where the game can go from here.