Charlotte Hornets: LaMelo Ball’s 2K22 rating revealed, did 2K get it right?

NBA 2K22 is just a couple of weeks from releasing and 2K Sports is doing its best to get the buzz flowing around the game. Rating reveals are always a hot topic around the games release and the Charlotte Hornets young star, LaMelo Ball, recently had his rating revealed to the public.

https://twitter.com/NBA2K/status/1428016505740951560?s=20

Ball has seen a pretty jump up from the 77 overall he started with in NBA 2k21. Winning the Rookie of the Year award and being one of the most popular rookies of all time will have that effect. However, Ball’s rating did drop one point from the 85 he finished within 2k21.

This is only natural as 2K irons out their ratings formula to mesh with the next installment of the game. Fans, however, still have to wonder if 2K left a couple of points on the board when grading the youngest Ball brother.

Taking a look back, Atlanta Hawks star point guard, Trae Young, was graded as an 85 overall heading into his second season. Young had an exceptional rookie season, but it wasn’t enough to earn Rookie of the Year honors thanks to the brilliance of Luka Doncic. It’s reasonable to think that Ball is on a similar path to stardom as Young and Doncic, and could even surpass that of Young’s impact in year two.

I personally believe 2K got it right with Ball when looking at a couple of current ratings of other guards 2K has already released. Nuggets guard Jamal Murray was rated at an 85 and Zach Lavine at 87. Ball being right below Murray after he suffered a big injury and a few steps behind Lavine makes sense as Ball heads into his second year.

This rating might actually be a sign of respect as Ben Simmons was given the same 84 overall rating that Ball was handed. Simmons’ playoff meltdown has seen him take a dip from the 87 overall rating he received the past three years.

Ball being on the same level as a player who is coming off a year where he was an NBA All-Star, made the NBA All-Defensive First Team, and led his team to the first overall seed in the Eastern Conference is something that Hornets fans can be proud of. Even if it’s actually bad for the other guy.

Once 2K releases the ratings to players like Anthony Edwards, we can get a better grasp of how well they actually rated Ball. For now, I feel comfortable in saying that 2K got it right with Charlotte’s star.