NBA2K17 has four 90-rated PG’s. Who’s the best?
It’s your MyLeague Fantasy Draft. You’ve got one of those mid-1st round picks in that awkward #11 — #20 range. You’re looking at the low 90’s, probably at the quartet of point guards with the same rating.
Kyrie Irving, John Wall, Isaiah Thomas, and Damian Lillard all have different strengths and weaknesses, especially if you’re building a team around them. Let’s break ’em down stat by stat to determine who’s the best cornerstone for your franchise.
Shooting
If you’re launching long balls, Kyrie’s your guy. That 97 mid-range and 87 three-point rating make him (quite literally) can’t miss. Isaiah can match Uncle Drew inside the arc, but won’t land the deep ones. Lillard’s serviceable with 80–86 numbers across the board, but certainly a step below Irving. Poor John Wall struggles here, though, with high 70’s across six of seven shooting ratings. Shooting Advantage: Kyrie.
Driving
Dame’s shooting lines were solid, but not stellar — good thing he’s got that 85 Driving Dunk to flesh out an all-around offensive game. Wall shares the 85, amped up by an extra inch and Gold Acrobat & Relentless Finisher badges. While you won’t catch Kyrie or IT yaking on anyone, they’ve got sky-high lay-up stats and are perfectly capable of scoring in traffic (though Isaiah’s height hurts). Driving Advantage: Dame.
Passing
So there’s a strange imbalance across traditional point guard skills with these new-age ballhandlers — pretty much everyone has a glaring weakness. Kyrie’s 98 Ball Control and 96 Hands are among the best in 2K17, but his passing numbers are rather pedestrian — same goes for Video Game Dame and your favorite Celtic. A nice spread of 90’s makes John Wall the most traditional point guard (though you wouldn’t think of him as such). It’s worth noting that all four own a Gold Pick & Roll Maestro badge, but once again, Wall’s 6'4" frame helps him out. Passing Advantage: Wall.
Defense
The separation’s pretty laughable on the defensive side. John’s an actual wall thanks to impressive ratings in important categories. Many 2K PGs are one-sided players, Wall can stop opposing all-stars — hugely valuable in the guard-heavy NBA. Case closed. Defensive Advantage: Wall by a mile.
Speed & Athleticism
All four are obviously fast — we’re looking at 87+ ratings in Speed, Speed With Ball, and Acceleration. Wall’s got rockets, though — a 97 Speed rating + an 88 Vertical launch him across your x and y axis. Note that Kyrie’s the resident pansy with a 37 Strength Rating, along with that my-shoelaces-are-tied-together 72 Lateral Quickness. You’ve got to consider Lillard’s 98 Intagibles and 98 Overall Durability (if you play with injuries on), though once again, we’re in John’s world. Advantage: Wall.
Badges
The whole lot own impressive badge sets, though Kyrie’s batch is hard to pass on. Those nine golds make him easy-to-learn & virtually unstoppable, especially if you’ve got another ballhandler on your team. Wall’s eight golds cover key point guard skills + the best of the defensive offerings, while Damian and Isaiah fall behind. Badge Advantage: Kyrie by a hair.
So now that we’ve looked at the data, who’s the best?
*Record scratch* — before we get into these rankings, let’s talk about something important: personal preference. Dame, Kyrie, Wall, and IT are all excellent, and all play differently. If you want an all-around two-way PG, go Wall. If you want a lights-out shooter, take Kyrie. Draft Dame if you want multiple weapons. And take Isaiah if… okay, spoilers, Isaiah is #4 of 4, but he’s perfectly serviceable. So without further adieu…
The 90-rated Point Guard Rankings
- John Wall. Yeahyeahyeah, I know — you think I’m wrong. Problem is, you’re voting with your heart and TV ratings. You see Kyrie, IT, and even Dame every year through the playoffs and YouTube, but rarely catch DC’s floor general. Do yourself a favor & get educated. John Wall is the best athlete, best defender, best passer, and second-best driver. No, you can’t cheese 3’s with him, but you can’t get the rest of your shooters open. Pick up the sticks, toss down tomahawks and enjoy stopping your opponents’ predictable PG-centric offense.
- Kyrie Irving. He’s lights out. It’s that simple. When you’re manning Kyrie, you’re always in scoring position. He’s an easy player to learn with a pretty-standard release. Look to score first and you’ll win.
- Damian Lillard. There’s something you should know. While he’s ranked #3 here, master 2K players can be deadly when running Dame. Truly equal ability from outside & at the rim make Lillard the most unpredictable to guard, only strengthened with 98 Intagibles. Don’t sleep on the Blazers’ franchise guy.
- Isaiah Thomas. Sorry, IT — size matters in 2K. Even the exceptionally-talented 2Ker has trouble getting shots with the little guy, especially if an opponent uses any sort of lock down defender on him. Don’t get me wrong — Isaiah can put up big numbers in small windows — there’s just no reason to grab him before these other 3 guys. If he falls into that #25-#35 range, snatch IT up. If there’s still an 85+ player you like on the board, though, I can’t recommend IT without serious practice hours.
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