2K is trying to get you interested with this sort of player catnip. We got new Derrick Rose, Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony cards today in MyTeam. Let’s take a look at them.
Derrick Rose’s 2K exploits are known through the lands, so getting a pink diamond Derrick Rose certainly intrigues the masses. This card comes equipped with 87 3-point shot, 95 mid-range, 98 offensive consistency, 99 speed, 99 acceleration, 98 vertical, 98 stamina, 98 driving layup, 98 driving dunk, 99 speed with the ball, 98 ball handling, 95 passing accuracy, 99 perimeter defense, 92 lateral quickness, 89 steal, and 88 reaction time.
Yeah, those stats will play.
He gets HOF Acrobat, Consistent Finisher, Contact Finisher, Slithery Finisher, Tear Dropper, Difficult Shots, Green Machine, Volume Shooter, Downhill, Quick First Step, Stop & Go. For gold badges, he has Quick Draw, Range Extender, Deadeye, Ankle Breaker, Dimer, Handles For Days, Tight Handles, Unpluckable, Clamps, Lightning Reflexes, Pick Dodger, Pick Pocket and Trapper.
Derrick Rose is a two-way freak and jumps up to become one of the best players in the game.
Kobe gets his first diamond of the year, and it also looks quite good. He gets 94 mid-range, 89 3-point shooting, 90 speed, 90 driving layup, 95 driving dunk, 84 post fade, 85 speed with the ball, 86 ball handling, 92 perimeter defense, 90 lateral quickness, 92 pass perception and 90 steal. Again, a complete offensive player from all three levels and when posting up.
He gets HOF Difficult Shots, Volume Shooter, Clamps, Off-Ball Pest and Tireless Defender. For gold badges, it’s Deep Fades, Deadeye, Green Machine, Quick Draw, Range Extender, Quick First Step, Intimidator and Interceptor that stand out.
This card becomes one of the best perimeter defenders in the game, on top of the obvious offensive exploits.
For Melo, this is also his first diamond of the season, and it’s as insane on offense as you would expect. He gets 95 mid-range, 93 3-point shooting, 92 speed, 82 strength, 90 driving layup, 85 driving dunk, 85 post moves, 92 post fade, 87 speed with the ball, 91 ball handling, 80 interior defense, 80 perimeter defense, 83 lateral quickness and 84 defensive rebounding.
For badges, he gets HOF Catch & Shoot, Deadeye, Difficult Shots, Tireless Shooter and Volume Shooter. For gold badges, it’s gold Dropstepper, Post Spin Technician, Ankle Breaker, Tight Handles, Corner Specialist, Deep Fades, Pick & Popper, Quick Draw, Range Extender and Steady Shooter.
So he doesn’t get any defensive badges, but he’s going to be incredibly fast at PF, and he’s one of the best spot-up shooters you can get at PF out of pick and pop or in the corner. You can live with no defensive badges when he’s going to be such a challenge to deal with on offense as a scorer with the ball in his hands or off the ball.
Noah is an amethyst who can become a diamond. He has 70 speed, 85 standing dunk, 96 interior defense, 95 help defense, 97 pick and roll defense, 90 blocking, 95 shot contest, 95 offensive rebounding and 92 defensive rebounding.
For badges, it’s HOF Intimidator, Rebound Chaser and Tireless Defender. He will be the prototypical rim runner who protects the paint and gets every rebound. In other words, this is prime Noah, albeit he doesn’t get any key playmaking badges.
Evolution to diamond requirements for Noah:
- 1,500 points
- 1,000 rebounds
- 100 blocks
- 50 games played
He gets HOF Rim Protector, Defensive Leader, Heart Crusher and Brick Wall with the upgrade. Ratings wise, He goes to 78 mid-range, 95 standing dunk, 84 post moves, 85 post hook, 74 lateral quickness and 96 blocking.
Boozer gets 92 mid-range, 94 strength, 85 standing dunk, 92 post moves, 92 post hook, 94 post fade, 92 hands, 88 interior defense, 85 help defense, 95 offensive rebounding and 94 defensive rebounding. He gets HOF Backdown Punisher and Cross-Key Scorer. He also has gold Deep Hooks, Deep Fades, Pick & Popper, Pick & Roller and Dropstepper.
I would not play this card too often at center, but he will be great in pick and rolls/pops, and he will ruin teams who try to go small at power forward. It’s not a bad offense-first PF.
Armstrong is an incredibly cheap ruby who has 93 3-point shooting, 85 speed, 85 speed with the ball and 86 ball handling. He also has gold Corner Specialist, Green Machine, Hot Zone Hunter, Quick Draw and Steady Shooter. In other words, this is a shoot-first PG who won’t be great on defense as a base ruby. However, the evolution helps that considerably.
B.J. Armstrong evolves to an amethyst with these requirements:
- 900 points
- 200 assists
- 150 3-pointers
- 40 games played
For attributes upgrades, he gets 87 speed, 87 speed with ball, 88 steal, 86 perimeter defense, 85 help defense, 88 lateral quickness and 85 pass perception. You get gold Pick Pocket, Pick Dodger, Lightning Reflexes, Off-Ball Pest, Tireless Defender and Trapper with the evolution as well. In essence, it turns Armstrong into a more well-rounded defender who can defend the point of attack and be a threat from downtown.
All in all, 2K has started the power creep with this batch of cards. Almost every single one of them is at least worth checking out, and Kobe, Melo and Rose all have demonstrable strengths.
