While NBA 2K steam rolls ahead, NBA Live 16 hasn't exactly gotten off to a smooth start. However, the game creators did take some creative liberties that are of interest to the Lakers' faithful. Mitch Kupchak and the front office managed to clone Kristaps Porzingis, then drafted him under the pseudonym Larry Nance, Jr., as discovered by Zach Harper of CBS Sports:
Wait a goddamned minute… pic.twitter.com/IjuW3WmF9p
— Zach Harper (@talkhoops) September 18, 2015
Update: Larry Nance, Jr. was not impressed:
C'mon now..... https://t.co/0bcOCozstO
— Larry Nance Jr (@Larrydn22) September 18, 2015
A tricky maneuver to execute, but one that could pay off in the end. The analytics investment is already paying out. If you browse around Twitter you'll find plenty of ridiculous screenshots from the game, like 80-year-old Julius Randle:
Hello 72-year-old Julius Randle pic.twitter.com/WOyVD9TYKc
— Kenny Ducey (@KennyDucey) September 18, 2015
And No. 2 pick D'Angelo Russell looking ready to be at the heart of a rebuilding Lakers squad:
@DrewGarrisonSBN @jimmykimmel pic.twitter.com/Lw0GUdbrRT
— Harrison Faigen (@hmfaigen) September 18, 2015
These might be even worse than copy pasta'ing the same model for two players. EA is expected to update these faces once the game launches, but that's the demo and first impression people will have of the game.