Gary A. Vasquez – USA Today Sports Images
Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol is unquestionably one of the leaders on his team and one of the best big men in the NBA. The league’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year, he’s obviously a game-changing defender, but he’s also an underrated offensive player in terms of versatile scoring and passing and is an assertive and smart leader for his team.
With NBA 2K14 set to hit the market in less than a week, the player ratings have finally been released, courtesy of Operation Sports. As expected, Gasol is one of the highest-rated centers in the game. However, he’s criminally rated as only an 82 and is curiously place among the centers of the league.
There’s not really any way that you can argue that Dwight Howard should be the highest rated center in 2K14. Say what you will about Dwight, but no other center in the game has the combination of size, athleticism and skill that he possesses. However, I have a major issue with Andrew Bynum and Al Jefferson being rated higher than Gasol.
In the case of Jefferson, there’s no doubt that he’s a talented offensive player and a bigger scoring threat than Gasol is. However, when you factor in defensive impact, there’s no plausible argument to Jefferson being a better overall player than Gasol, yet the game has Gasol’s rating at that 82 while Jefferson is at an 84.
The case of Bynum is a bit different because there’s no denying the talent that Bynum once had. However, after his long and still ongoing recovery from a number of knee injuries, it’s hard for me to accept him being rated at an 86. It’s hard to imagine him being at the same level that he once was, if he does return at all.
More than just comparing him to who is ranked ahead of him, Gasol deserves a higher rating. It seems a bit odd that the developers are discrediting his defensive abilities and not giving him the credit he deserves for what he brings offensively. I’m sure the game is amazing and thoroughly enjoyable, but they are way off in how they rated Gasol.
Cody Williams is a Senior Writer with Rant Sports. Follow Cody on Twitter @TheSizzle20, add him on Google and like his Facebook page.
Related:
James Nunnally Could Put Forth Solid Effort at Memphis Grizzlies Training Camp
Memphis Grizzlies Center Marc Gasol Named to All Eurobasket Team
Memphis Grizzlies Getting No Love From Bookmakers for 2013-2014 NBA Season
