I did not cover the Leap Year players in a lot of detail because it was already rather clear at first glance a bunch of them were going to be awesome. What was nice about this set is we did get three evolution players. 2K has seen the light in some regards as it relates to evolution requirements. They started out as patently absurd, and now that the power creep is out of hand, they seem to realize making evolution requirements an insane slog does not make sense. Regardless, it’s a good adjustment as it’s made evolving players enjoyable for me once again.
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So I will highlight those MyTeam Leap Year evolution requirements below and also tell you in the simplest terms whether I think each player is worth checking out.
MyTeam Leap Year Evolution Requirements
Robert Pack
Ruby to Amethyst
- Requirements:
- Score 300 points
- Make 20 dunks
- Gets:
- HOF Pick Pocket, Consistent Finisher and Contact Finisher. Also gets gold Clamps
Tom Chambers
Amethyst to Diamond
- Requirements:
- Score 400 points
- Make 100 dunks
- Gets:
- Gold Clamps, Rim Protector and Intimidator, among other gold badges
- Diamond to Pink Diamond
- Score 600 points
- Grab 200 rebounds
- Make 100 dunks
- Make 30 3-pointers
- Play 30 games
- Gets:
- HOF Acrobat, Relentless Finisher, Post Spin Technician, Dropstepper, Putback Boss, Pick and Roller, Downhill, Quick First Step, Green Machine, Hot Zone Hunter
- Gold Range Extender, Steady Shooter (bummer) and a couple other golds
Nate Robinson
Sapphire to Ruby
- Requirements:
- Score 50 points
- Make 5 dunks
- Gets:
- HOF Dimer, Needle Threader, Unpluckable, Floor General
- Gold Quick First Step
Ruby to Amethyst
- Requirements:
- Score 300 points
- Make 40 dunks
- Gets:
- HOF Pick Pocket, Pogo Stick
- Gold Clamps
Amethyst to Diamond
- Requirements:
- Score 500 points
- Make 50 dunks
- Gets:
- HOF Acrobat, Consistent Finisher, Contact Finisher, Downhill, Quick First Step (only gets gold to HOF upgraded badges in this tier)
Diamond to Pink Diamond
- Requirements:
- Score 600 points
- Make 100 dunks
- Make 30 3-pointers
- Play 30 games
- Gets:
- HOF Catch and Shoot, Clamps, Green Machine, Range Extender, Slipper Off-Ball, Tireless Shooter, Volume Shooter (only gets gold to HOF upgraded badges in this tier)
MyTeam Leap Year Player Grades
- Galaxy Opal Dwight Howard – He gets an A and his shot is way too pure from deep. He’s the best center in the game for me now.
- Galaxy Opal Derrick Rose – He gets an A- and I put him just below Russell Westbrook because I like Westbrook’s shot a pinch more. Rose is a top-end option.
- Galaxy Opal Tracy McGrady – He gets an A, but it’s a little personal preference here. If you’ve already been using T-Mac this year, then this card makes sense. D-Wade has better dribble moves, but I like shooting with McGrady more. He’s a top-end option.
- Pink Diamond Paul George – Another A- but it’s down to personal preference once again. I wish George had SG eligibility because I think the Kawhi is better than this one.
- Pink Diamond Rudy Gay – Gay gets a B+ but you can talk me into him being better than George because his shot is a delight. Also, he just feels smooth.
- Diamond Gerald Wallace – He also gets a B+ because his shot is way too easy to green. I have loved Wallace cards in the past, but I did not expect him to be able to shoot this well. A nice surprise.
- Diamond Lonzo Ball – Lonzo is also a B+ because he has great size and athleticism. The shot is a little slow but it’s usable.
- Amethyst Alex Caruso – Caruso is a B. The hype is justified here as he’s one of the best amethyst options for sure now.
- Amethyst David Thompson – He gets a D-. Thompson is just bad in MyTeam this year.
- Tom Chambers – Chambers gets a C- in fully upgraded form. If you do use him, you need to do the diamond version because he’s too slow before then.
- Ruby Kenneth Faried – Manimal gets a D because he doesn’t have a real place on most teams.
- Ruby Robert Pack – Pack is a D+ in upgraded form because he’s caught between positions to some extent still without the upside of so many other combo guards.
- Sapphire Hamidou Diallo – Diallo is a C. The dunking is crazy, but he’s being a little too overhyped for the budget teams. You can get much better options even if the dunking is not quite as insane.
- Nate Robinson – Nate Rob gets a C- in pink diamond form. Look, he’s fun in Triple Threat and has the big badges, but Lonzo is better and the grind just is not worth it with that in mind. Still, a blast to play with so I won’t fault you for scoping him out.
