2K's Response to Linsanity
Submitted on: 03/03/2012 by
Mike Kilroy
The NBA is all about “Linsanity” these days.
New York Knicks’ point guard Jeremy Lin was a relative unknown when the NBA season tipped off. Now, unless you have been living in Biosphere2 or on the International Space Station for the last month, you know who he is – and you are probably Lincapable of turning on EPSN without hearing about him.
NBA 2K12 has certainly taken notice to Lin’s meteoric rise from nobody to star. When the game was released, Lin was fourth on the depth chart at point guard – for the Houston Rockets. It was Linconceivable then that he would be anything more than just another guy on the bench.
The Rockets released Lin and the Knicks snatched him up. Because of injuries and circumstance, Lin got a chance to show what he could do and took advantage of it with four straight memorable games earlier this month. He has been able to maintain his high standard of play and looks like the real deal.
Lin’s ratings in NBA 2K12 reflected his early status as a guy deep on the bench. His overall rating was a pedestrian 56 and very few of his grades were above a C. As he dominated on the real hardwood, his virtual doppelganger saw his ratings soar. In a little more than a week, Lin’s overall jumped from a 56 to a 75. It was an unprecedented increase.
I went back and played a few games pre-Linsanity with the roster set that came with the game, and then I played a few games post-Linsanity, when his ratings jumped significantly. There are lots of ratings within the game. Some have subtle effects, while others are more pronounced.
Here are a few of the most obvious upgrades in Lin’s game.
Shot Medium
Pre-Linsanity: 65
Post-Linsanity: 80
A bump of 15 points in this category is very significant.
With his original ratings, taking a mid-range jumper with Lin was ill-advised. He simply didn’t have the skill to make those shots consistently. To make matters worse, he wasn’t a very good shooter from, well, anywhere.
After his big bump up, if Lin is open at the elbow or from about 15-feet out, take it. He’ll drain it a fair amount of the time. With his small increases in speed and quickness, he can get himself open for these shots easier, too.
Pass
Pre-Linsanity: 60
Post-Linsanity: 80
This is another huge upgrade. Lin, after all, is a point guard and the No. 1 priority for that position is the ability to pass. Before the roster update, Lin was a turnover machine. His teammates had to be wide open for his passes to find the mark. With a 20-point bump, Lin can make more dazzling dishes, leading to more points from his teammates.
Ball Security
Pre-Linsanity: 68
Post-Linsanity: 78
A ten-point jump isn’t great, but it is noticeable. Actually, I think 2K should have bumped this up a smidge more, but who am I to be Linsulted?
Even this improvement is noticeable in the game as it is much harder for Lin to be stripped when driving the lane or bringing the ball up-court against pressure.
Other Ratings
Lin’s potential went up from a 72 to and 81. His offensive awareness, which has little practical implications as long as you pull Lin’s virtual strings, skyrocketed from a 65 to a 92.
Overall, Lin’s rise has been mirrored quite well in the game. It will be interesting to see how much better he gets in real life and in NBA 2K12 – or if the bubble bursts and Linsanity turns into Linadequacy.
Do you think 2K went overboard with Lin's sky-rocketed ratings, or did they do just right?
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