Milwaukee Bucks: Predicting the 2K22 ratings for the supporting cast

Predicting the 2K ratings for the Milwaukee Bucks’ returning players

Last but certainly not least are the five players returning to the Bucks who should see rotation minutes to varying degrees. The group of Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Pat Connaughton, Bobby Portis, Donte DiVincenzo, and Brook Lopez should all provide some very interesting ratings and an idea how 2K values the Bucks’ best role players.

Thanasis Antetokounmpo: 73

Thanasis is such a hard player to get a read on for how 2K values him. He finished last year with a  73 overall rating but got as high as 75 overall! That’s higher than Semi Ojeleye was at any point and right around where Rodney Hood was. Therefore, I’m going to stick with where Thanasis ended the season and not be shocked at all if he’s higher or lower. He’s obviously a fan favorite, and maybe his energy is so high all the time it even powers his 2K rating higher.

Pat Connaughton: 77

For whatever reason, 2K rates Connaughton criminally low. I’m not saying he should be an 80 or anything, but he started and finished last season as a 73 overall, but he did get as high as 77 for a couple of weeks. His rating fluctuated a lot as the season went along, but after his impressive playoff run — including shooting nearly 50 percent from long range in the Finals — I want to see Connaughton get some respect from the 2K ratings team. You’d think someone who can dunk and hit triples consistently would get a better rating! That’s the perfect 2K role player.

Bobby Portis: 81

I am demanding that the Portis hype train continues into the beginning of 2K22. He increased his overall by four points from the 77 he started with to an 81 by the end of the season. He gained a ton of popularity throughout the playoffs, and his on-court performance warrants some love. He shot the cover off the ball from three last season and bounced back after not falling out of the rotation against the Brooklyn Nets to have a huge impact in the following two rounds. The People’s Champ deserves to be in the low 80’s to start the year. If not, then he can absolutely get there by achieving some of his goals for the coming season.

Donte DiVincenzo: 80

DiVincenzo has always been someone I found 2K rates a little higher than I tend to expect. He got up to a 79 overall rating at one point last year, which was a bit of a surprise to me. I’m a big fan of DiVincenzo’s, but I didn’t think his game was something that would translate to a decent 2K rating. Regardless, DiVincenzo should be in the high 70’s and top out as an 80 in the initial ratings. I’m hoping they don’t hold his injury recovery against him as he had a very good season as a first-time starter and could see that rating go up as he returns to form following a season-ending injury.

Brook Lopez: 82

Lopez is the opposite of how I feel with DiVincenzo. I think Lopez always gets a low rating for what he brings and how impactful he is on defense. He ended as a 79 last year! He’s easily the Bucks’ most important player after the trio, but he doesn’t get enough credit. He showed he could hang with even the best offensive players in big moments because of his defensive intelligence and surprising mobility. We also saw him have big offensive performances when the Bucks needed him in the Conference Finals, so hopefully, that opened some eyes at the 2K offices.

If Lopez isn’t above an 80 to start the year, then there’s going to be a lot of very angry Bucks fans. If he can even hit on some of his lofty goals for the 2021-22 campaign, then we should see the big man get more love in the ratings.

We should see the reveal of the ratings for the remaining Bucks players sometime soon, and I look forward to being incredibly accurate and there being no controversy whatsoever.