Monday night brought a special presentation of the NBA 2K20 rookie ratings. It happened via Twitter live stream as basketball fans got a first look at the new players’ numbers.
That included one of the most-hyped rookie stars in some time with Duke Blue Devils standout Zion Williamson. There were some fans who felt he might get an insanely high rating.
While it wasn’t too high, it actually gave him a rookie record for 2K.
Zion Williamson tops NBA 2K20 rookie ratings
During the live stream show from Twitter headquarters, they revealed the top 20 players in the game, but also the top five rookies.
They are the first five picks from the 2019 NBA Draft. The man who captivated the nation during his freshman season at Duke was rewarded with the best possible number for a rookie.
The Pelicans’ top pick Zion Williamson received an 81 overall (OVR) rating to lead the way for this year’s rookie class. That put him two points ahead of the No. 2 pick as the Memphis Grizzlies’ Ja Morant is a 79 OVR. Just below Morant is the New York Knicks RJ Barrett at 78 OVR.
Rounding out the top five are the Atlanta Hawks’ DeAndre Hunter and Cleveland Cavaliers’ Darius Garland. Both players netted a 77 OVR for the NBA 2K20 rookie ratings.
So far, 2K has yet to reveal any of the other rookies heading into the new season.
Zion’s rating surpasses LeBron’s 2K rookie rating
During the NBA 2K20 rookie ratings’ discussion, the 2K folks mentioned that Zion Williamson’s number would be a hot topic of discussion with some fans feeling it should be higher.
However, it was also pointed out that Zion’s rookie rating is higher than what LeBron James first arrived into 2K with.
LeBron’s rookie rating was just a 78 overall in the ESPN NBA Basketball title, per 247Sports. That puts Zion three points ahead of where King James rated as a rookie.
That certainly gives Zion Williamson a lot of hype to live up to.
Year 17 and still the highest rated player in 2K ?#2KRatings pic.twitter.com/bB1YiKVZfj
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) July 16, 2019
That said, an 81 is 16 points lower than what LeBron has in the 2K20 ratings. He’s the best overall player with a 97, so the bar has been set for all players.
LeBron actually held that top spot since NBA 2K7, so Zion has his work cut out for him to become mentioned with King James at the top.
See the complete NBA 2K20 rookie and player ratings reveal at 2K20’s Twitter video.