NBA 2K reveals player rating for Josh Hart

Just as NBA 2K revealed the first gameplay trailer for NBA 2K19 with a heavy dose of LeBron James on the Los Angeles Lakers, the gaming giant also reveled the overall player rating for one of his new teammates, Josh Hart.

Normally these things are announced via a slick graphic on social media, but for this one 2K actually told Hart in person in a video released on host Ronnie Singh’s (Ronnie 2K) Instagram account, in which Singh told Hart he’ll be a 76 in the game.

“Okay, that’s all right. I’m with it,” Hart said. “It’s better than a 70 last year, a lot more room to go, so I’m cool with a 76.”

As he mentioned, Hart was a 70 in last year’s game, so this is an improvement, but this acceptance was a change from when he and teammate Kyle Kuzma initially responded to their scores leaking, when he and Kuzma called the ratings “disrespectful” and vowed to make the league “learn” that they were wrong when the Lakers “turned up on they asses.”

However, Hart was a 75 in those initial leaks, so maybe time plus one extra point solves all slights? Either way, Hart also vowed to improve next season.

“Next year we’re going to crack that 80,” Hart said.

Hart showed a ton of growth in Las Vegas Summer League, and might just be the best fit next to LeBron James of any member of the Lakers’ young core. If Hart’s combination of pick-and-roll proficiency, shooting skills and defensive versatility allow him to be the perfect remora fish alongside James’ proverbial shark, then he can rest assured that he’ll be right, and that his 2K rating will be significantly higher in next year’s iteration of the simulation.

You can follow Harrison on Twitter at @hmfaigen.