NBA 2K13 Player Ratings: Overrated Stars to Avoid in New Game

With the release of NBA 2K13 scheduled for Tuesday, October 2, the video game fans and the basketball enthusiasts once again converge upon the most anticipated game of the year.

NBA 2K13 is here!

After the huge success of NBA 2K12, the developers have gone back to the drawing board with many of the game modes and controls, making this year’s edition the best in the history of the series.

NBA 2K13 could be the greatest sports game of the year, but there is always the discussion about player ratings. Inevitably, certain players will be overrated based on name appeal or the league’s respect.

No matter the reason, each of the following stars has a very high rating but don’t quite deserve it.

It’s not to say these players aren’t great—just not as good as they’re rated.

Chauncey Billups, Overall Rating: 82

There will be plenty of Chauncey Billups fans that come out of the woodwork to defend the veteran point guard, but it’s all the same.

At the end of the day, Billups never stayed healthy (knee and Achilles injuries to end the season each of the last two years) and is a shell of the player he once was. With an utter lack of speed or elusiveness, Billups has become a stationary point guard.

There is no doubt that Billups was a serviceable player in the league for many years, but his time as one of the league’s elite has come and gone. He doesn’t deserve an 82 overall ranking.

To put him in the same class as players like Tyreke Evans, Serge Ibaka or Gerald Wallace is a slap in the face to those younger superstars.

Real Rating: 75

Tim Duncan, Overall Rating: 87

The love for San Antonio Spurs power forward Tim Duncan is well deserved after a long career in the NBA, but ranking the veteran this high when he is barely the third-best player on his team is a joke.

As most NBA2K fans remember, Duncan was a 98 in 2008 (h/t PastaPadre.com) because of his offensive prowess around the basket and his shut-down defense, but that isn’t the case anymore.

Duncan’s low-post presence isn’t as dominating as it once was, and his offensive moves are now better-handled by the younger power forwards across the league.

With Duncan being in the same overall rating category as Lakers stars Steve Nash and Pau Gasol and Denver Nuggets forward Andre Iguodala, it is obvious that the company he is keeping outclasses him.

Duncan belongs with Brook Lopez and the other lower 80s.

Real Rating: 82

LeBron James, Overall Rating: 98

Of course Miami Heat forward LeBron James would be overrated in the basketball video game.

Despite winning an NBA title, the NBA Finals and regular-season MVP awards and a Team USA gold medal, James will always face scrutiny, whether it is fair or not. With that said, LBJ doesn’t deserve his 98 rating.

An inconsistent jumper and poor shot selection has always plagued the veteran, but the good people at NBA2K forgot all about that because of the veteran’s recent run of success.

With Michael Jordan the only player in the game ranked higher at 99 overall, let the controversy begin.

There is no discounting James' accolades, but many experts and fans argue that Kevin Durant is just as talented offensively as LeBron. While there is no questioning James’ physical prowess in the defensive end of the court either, Durant’s consistent shooting and basketball I.Q. arguably make him the superior offensive talent.

If Kevin Durant is ranked at a 94 overall, the highest LeBron should be rated is a 96.

However you feel about James’ ranking, we should all agree that no player deserves to be ranked within five points of the greatest of all time, Michael Jordan; let’s be honest.

Real Rating: 96

Check back for more on the National Basketball Association as it comes, and don’t miss Bleacher Report’s NBA page to get your fill of all things basketball.

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