Zach LaVine will begin the season with an 87 rating in NBA 2K22, NBA 2K announced on Twitter Wednesday.
The Chicago Bulls guard began last season rated an 85 in the game's Next Gen edition. So while some may see his current rating as too low, embedded in it is a nod to the breakout 2020-21 campaign he enjoyed.
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Last season, LaVine, 26, averaged career-high averages in points (27.4), rebounds (5.0) and assists (4.9) while shooting 50.7 percent from the field and 41.9 percent from 3-point range. He made his first All-Star team in March 2021, then nearly five months later won gold with USA Basketball in Tokyo.
NBA 2K is rolling ratings out slowly and selectively on social media. Other player ratings in LaVine's bracket that were released Wednesday include Zion Williamson (89), Trae Young (89), Khris Middleton (88), Rudy Gobert (88), Domantas Sabonis (86) and Jrue Holiday (85).
LaVine did check in as the game's second-highest rated dunker — just behind Williamson, and one spot in front of Aaron Gordon, who he famously defeated in the 2016 dunk contest:
Bulls fans aggrieved by LaVine's rating, take heart: If he makes another leap in the upcoming season, he will have the chance to see his rating level up with him. If it does, it will probably mean good things for the team.
